Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: Introduce series.

Read Jaquelle’s bio.

There are people all across our world— from magazine cover celebrities to the soccer mom down the street to perhaps that person who occupies the locker next to yours— who claim to follow Jesus but actually don’t.

While saying they have hearts devoted to a passionate pursuit of God, they live unchanged lives.

Indifferent lives.

Lives that blend in, conform to, and meld with the world.

Jesus changed nothing in their lives.

And this problem is getting bigger.

Drew Dyck, a Christian author and editor, once heard this message at a youth conference: “Being a Christian isn’t hard.  .  .  .

You won’t lose your friends or be unpopular at school.

Nothing will change.

Your life will be the same, just better.”

Drew was stunned, but apparently the teenagers weren’t.

In fact, they weren’t even listening, instead they were flicking Doritos at each other.

Drew couldn’t help but think, “And why should they?”

If Jesus changes nothing, they’re right.

Who cares about Christianity?

But the opposite is true too.

If Jesus changes everything, following him is worth risking all.

And that’s the truth.

If you take away one thing from this book, let it be this: Jesus has no half-hearted followers.

He demands all.

And when he saves you, he changes it all.

Crowe, Jaquelle.

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (p.

18).

Crossway.

Kindle Edition.

Crowe, Jaquelle.

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (pp.

18-19).

Crossway.

Kindle Edition.

Crowe, Jaquelle.

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (p.

18).

Crossway.

Kindle Edition.

The Example of Paul

Crowe, Jaquelle.

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (p.

18).

Crossway.

Kindle Edition.

Crowe, Jaquelle.

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (p.

18).

Crossway.

Kindle Edition.

From our study in the book of Acts, what do we know about Paul before he was saved?

What do we know about Paul after he was saved?

When Paul met Christ, everything in Paul’s life dramatically changed.

He was drastically changed from the enemy of Christ and his church to becoming the church’s greatest champion who still serves as an example for us today of leaving all in pursuit of sharing the gospel with those who will listen.

This is how Paul describes his life change.

Philippians 8:1-11

-11

What changes occured in Paul’s life? 1).

His priorities changed.

2).

He put his faith for righteousness in Christ alone.

3).

He pursued a relationship with Christ.

4).

He was willing to suffer for Christ.

5).

He had a desire to become like Christ.

His Priorities Changed

He devalued the things of this world.

What are some things that we are tempted to value other than Christ?

Although we should value some of these things, the problem is that the world tempts us to value them more than we value Christ.

C.S. Lewis put it this way:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.

We are far too easily pleased.”

Not only did Paul claim to value Christ, but he proved that he valued Christ with the way he lived his life.

The challenge for us is this: do we live like the things of this world are more important than Christ?

Jaquelle asks this

Do I live like Jesus is better than my phone?

Is Jesus better than my body?

Is Jesus better than makeup?

Is Jesus better than sports?

Would I gladly give it all up, without hesitation, for Jesus?

Jesus put it this way

Crowe, Jaquelle.

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (p.

22).

Crossway.

Kindle Edition.

How can I devalue the things of this world?

He treasured Christ above all else.

Paul says that everything out there looks insignificant when compared to Christ.

He describes knowing Jesus as having surpassing worth.

How many of you would be willing to die for Christ?

Are you currently living for Christ right now?

As Christians in America, we may not be called to die for our faith, but if Jesus is worthy then we will surely live out our faith.

He Placed His Confidence for Righteousness in Christ Alone

Paul was a rule follower.

Any other rule followers out there?

I am a rule follower.

Because I am a rule follower it can be a temptation for me to believe that following rules makes me okay.

If we can keep enough rules, it means we are good right?

If we look good, it means we are good?

Ironically, for Paul, being a rule follower made him even that much more dangerous and evil.

Because Christians weren’t keeping the laws of the Pharisees they deserved to be punished and thus he became a persecutor of the church.

Thankfully, through God’s grace Paul realized the truth.

Let’s be real.

We live in a feel good Walt Disney world where we are taught that “if you wish upon a star, it makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.”

We are told that we just need to muster the courage to be ourselves.

We are told to find confidence in ourselves.

We are taught that we can be the hero of our own story.

We are told to believe in ourselves because there is no one from anywhere else who is coming to save us.