Sermon Tone Analysis

*Seven Billion Reasons - Because future generations need to know!*

*May I also say!  *I am praying for a packed Venue 471!  Buildings are tools.

It’s what happens in the building that counts!

Let’s dedicate this student ministry space for God’s purposes!

*Becky Medley presented some really cute baby pictures.*

Those babies are adorable.

Well, I have some pictures too.

Let’s play – NAME THAT KID!

I will show you a picture and you name the person.

Here’s kid #1.[i]  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jordan, that’s Brian Hugh Warner better known as Marilyn Manson, Demi Moore and Greg Bondurant.

Have you ever seen bigger glasses in your life?

We’ve seen pictures of adorable babies, but as we all know – with few exceptions - babies grow up.

When my daughter Jeanna was born people would say to Tricia and I, /“Enjoy these times – /*I’m thinking “enjoy sleepless nights and daily diaper changes” – again they’d say,* /“Enjoy these times because babies grow up fast!”/  *My daughter has a t-shirt that says, Class of 2017!

My son has a t-shirt that says, Class of 2020!*  Children grow up!

One day their crawling and the next day their driving cars - YOUR CAR!  How is that possible?

*Do I have any teens here today?*

How many see your teen years in the rear view mirror?

Do you remember your teen years?

Would you agree with Bryan Adams that “these were the best days of my life?”[ii] 

*Ehhh!

I remember some good times.

I remember some bad times.

*Some people say, “I would love to go back to my teenage years!”

Not me!  Once was enough.

It was hard to be a teen then and it’s also hard today.

*Watch this 1989 Radio Shack commercial!  *You’re not putting THAT cell phone in your pocket!  $799!

I bet they sold maybe 8!  It’s obvious – teenage life is different today which can be good or bad!  *According to the Beloit College Mindset *List teenagers entering college this fall have this in common…… Harry Potter could be their classmate.

They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.

Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.

Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.

Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.

Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.

Soft drink refills have always been free.

AND

WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.[iii]

Last weekend Church Planter Ben Thompson helped me introduce a brand new series called 7 Billion Reasons to be Generous!

*Here’s Reason #1:  People are lost and matter to God!  Turn in your Bibles today to Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

(Hand out – P & P & WARM) *If you are not sure where Galatians is located go to the Table of Contents!

Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul.

*Look at verse 1&2 in Chapter 1. (Read)  Look at this map.

*Galatia is modern day Turkey.

Paul planted churches in Derbe, Lystra and Iconium.

* Generous churches plant new churches.

God ran to us.

Paul ran to others.

We also should run!*

Have you ever been in a bad mood?

What circumstances created the bad mood?

What I am about to show you came from real resumes and cover letters and was reprinted in Fortune Magazine:  /Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year ~/ Finished eighth in my class of ten ~/ It’s best for employers that I not work with people.

~/ Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details. ~/ Let’s meet, so you can ooh and aah over my experience.

~/ Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping.

I have never quit a job.

~/ Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.*[iv]*/

The Apostle Paul is miffed.

These Galatians should be maturing, but they are bailing out instead.

He is frustrated and agitated with these folks who were rescued from their sins but are now confused because false teachers called Judaizers have created doubts in their minds.

*Find verse 6.  (Read 6-10) 7 Billion reasons to be generous.

Here’s Reason #2:  Future generations need to know.

AND may I add - be reminded of what they know.

Generous churches make students~/teenagers a priority!

Go back to verse 6!*

            When you read the Bible always think “then & now.”

If you understand what’s happening THEN you can better grasp how to apply it NOW!

What is the main message of Galatians?

*Turn to Galatians 5:1.*

FREEDOM!

The “yourselves” are Gentiles like all of us.

They accepted Christ as Savior.

Rescued from their sins.

Paul leaves and false teachers called Judaizers begin to teach doctrine instead.

*Find verse 2 in Galatians 5.*  The doctrine is Jesus plus.

You are not fully Christian unless you are circumcised as well.

Jesus isn’t enough – you also have to fulfill the requirements of the law.

None of us can do that.

We do well for a while.

Outwardly we look pretty good but inwardly we are a mess.

I would never murder a person in cold blood but I’ve murdered several people multiple times in my mind just by saying /“I hate your guts!”//  /*Go back to Galatians 1:6!* 

            What immediately comes to your mind when you hear the word Friday or Dessert or November 7 or “Gospel?”

Good news right.

*Paul summarizes this good news in Galatians 1:3.

(Read)* “The *blessing* of the gospel is “grace and peace.”

The *source* of the gospel is God the Father and the *heart* of the gospel[v] is our Lord Jesus Christ’s death who *look at verse 4 /-/*/ gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age…”/

            Who would want to turn away from that?

But back then they were and people today are doing the same!

A number of them are teenagers!

Ken Ham wrote a book called Already Gone and he states that teenagers often check out mentally in Middle School and High School and physically in college.”

It used to be George Barna, but now it’s David Kinnaman.

Ken Ham writes, “Based on interviews with 22,000 adults and over 2,000 teenagers, Barna research quantified the seriousness of the situation: six out of ten 20-somethings who were involved in a church during their teen years are already gone.”[vi]

I want them back.

Do you?

And that statement is so puny when you consider God the Father saying, “I want my children back!”  *Generous churches do everything they can to reach and mature teenagers!*

The Galatians were turning to a different gospel.

Sometimes different is good.

Not in this case.

The true Gospel is grace.

A different gospel is legalism.

The Galatians were deserting grace for requirements, ceremonies and standards![vii]

*What different gospel are teenagers turning to today?

How about the Gospel of Opinion!  Find verse 7.  There’s always a some body!

*I am a youth minister at heart.