Sermon Tone Analysis

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Over 70% of church attending teenagers…teenagers who regularly attend church when they are in their parents homes…over 70%…walk away from Christianity within a few years of leaving their parents home…this number has risen over the last few years alone.
Which means less than three out of 10 church attending teenagers in America persist in their faith and this number is falling briskly.
And remember those are the ones who regularly attend church.
On top of that…at no other time in modern history and in no other culture in modern history is it more likely that a child will have 2 unbelieving parents.
And in a recent study of American youth in which youth from various backgrounds were asked basic questions about the Christian faith…those youth claiming to be Christian scored lowest on the test…about the Christian faith.
This is why…in the generation under the age of 25 when using biblical definitions of who are the saved, it has been recently estimated that less than 5% of this generation is saved.
As someone who has a passion and heart and concern for the future…especially the eternal future…of young people…these numbers tell me something…they are a direction and a diagnosis.
And they call us…the Church…parents...to something...
We believe God is powerful and in control of all things…we believe His promises…
We believe in the power of His resurection and the power of the Church…the body of Christ.
We believe that without faith we can do nothing…but with Jesus…all things are possible.
No matter what the situation.
To the trajectory seems grim and not headed in the right direction.
Our kids are up against it and swimming in dangerous waters.
And we are on a mission for God…we are devoted to Him and united in this mission with one another…we hold the sword of the Spirit in our hands and have the power of the Spirit within us.
God has put us in this very place at this very time for a reason.
And church this is one of the purposes He has called us to.
To prepare the youth in our homes…in our church and families…and even those whom He sends on Wednesday nights...
To prepare them to live for Jesus…no matter what the world around them says or does…we are called to empower the youth in our midst to...
Live for Jesus by the Power of the Spirit for the glory of God!
And persist in that faith not only when they leave our homes…but until the end.
Months ago Tadd said…I think God may move in this church through our youth.
A few weeks ago Ryan said to our youth…this is not just your parents church.
As I think about these statistics and the direction of our country and society over the next generation…I have 2 very strong competing emotions.
The first is urgency…because putting these together means that most of the youth in our communities are not saved and most of those who claim to be Christian know very little about the faith and do not truly know Jesus and will therefore walk away from it soon after leaving their parents homes.
The second emotion is hopeful expectation.
Our God is not a God limited by statistics…He is sovereign over all creation…and all people…and all cultures.
He is faithful to His promises…and He tells us.
This situation of our current culture that I have described is the situation we see over and over in the Old Testament.
The culture is bad…and in that…those calling themselves God’s people not living as God’s people…but God’s people by name only.
Not bringing up their children to honor God and live fully for His glory.
Not truly living in a way that glorifies God.
Living like the pagans…not living set apart from God. Therefore not truly His.
The Lord says it like this in the time of Isaiah:
And 2000 years ago Jesus said the same thing about His generation.
They are what the New Testament would call lukewarm or false...living like everyone else…with hearts far from God...
Therefore God sends punishment or curse upon them…
AND God quite often does something else in these times...
He raises up someone…many times a young person or young people...
Even some of the disciples were likely fairly young when they began to follow Jesus…some teenagers.
This gives me great excitement and anticipation…because...
One of the distinctives of our church…and I think you can even say of the Church is this...
The Church Prepares Youth to Live for Jesus
As many of you know one of my great passions (and the initial call God put on my life when He called and equipped me to teach His Word) is to teach God's Word to the youth.
We take this very seriously as a Church.
And for me there is this excitement...this desire to make sure that a few things will be clear and obvious to our youth...
God’s Word is the truth…
There is great power in prayer...
Living for Jesus is the only way to live…because He is everything.
My great desire and hope is that we rise up a generation in the midst of these cultural pressures who are standing on the Rock of their salvation…in love with the Church…and ready do do anything for the Lord!
There a few characteristics of this youth Generation that we need to understand.
They are searching for answers.
They can tell a fake from a mile away.
They have less preconceived notions (for better or worse) than some of us have built up over years in the church.
They are searching for purpose and not finding it in the world.
So what about the flip side?
What can we say about the very few youth of faith who persist in their faith when they leave their parents homes?
The far majority walk away…but what about the ones who do not?
Is there something about the population of youth who claimed Christianity as a youth and remained a born-again believer as an adult?
When you look back at their lives...what were the main factors in their youth…their families…their church...to equip them with a persistent faith…one that proved to be real?
If this is our passion in this Church…to...
Prepare our youth to live for Jesus…to persist in their faith until the end...
To make an impact on this world for the glory of God.
How do we do that?
God’s word tells us…and it is simple…not easy…but simple.
We will look at 2 Tim 3 in one minute...
Before I get to that…let’s see if this plays out in the world...
Because we have a promise...
What does that mean…are there certain things that we need to focus on with the youth to give them the kind of faith that persists…that they will not depart from.
And I am not talking only about helpingthem to find a church when they are older...
I mean a real, powerful, authentic, bold faith…one that makes an impact for God’s glory.
So I have another study for us...
A new LifeWay Research study commissioned by LifeWay Kids surveyed that other group of kids...thousands churchgoers who have adult children ages 18 to 30.
The goal of the project was to discover what church and parenting practices were common in the families where young adults rose above the cultural pressures and remained in the faith.
We talked earlier about exodus from the faith in young adults in America…but what about the ones whose faith proved to be real....
What affected their moral and spiritual development?
What factors stood out?
You might have some ideas or guesses...
The research (compiled now in the new book) indicated that children who remained faithful as young adults...grew up in homes and churches where these certain practices were present.
These were the 6 most powerful practices upon the faith of a Child.
1. BIBLE READING
2. PRAYER
3. SERVING IN THE CHURCH BODY
4. CHRISTIAN MUSIC
5. FAMILY AND CHURCH CULTURE, BUT NOT PROGRAMS
6. SEEING FAITH LIVED OUT IN THE LIVES OF PARENTS AND ADULTS
This is where we need to be careful…our God is not a God of statistics…the Christian life is one of prayer and faith…not formulas…
We follow a God of glory and power and miracles.
He will not be boxed in…but He also does not leave us blind or confused...
So I want to finish by opening God’s Word and seeing if this makes good biblical sense...and what we can learn…be encouraged by…and apply to our Church and our homes...
As we ask...
What kind of culture do we want in our homes and churches?
What space are we creating for our children to flourish for the Lord and overcome the world?
How are we rooting our families and church in God’s Word?
How are we modeling prayer and repentance?
What does the Christian life look like in our home?
What are they seeing from their parents and what example are we setting for the youth in our community who do not have parents that love the Lord?
What are the songs that are in our homes and hearts and on our lips and in our ears?
How are we fulfilling the Great Commission as parents and adults in the church?
How are we serving and sacrificing for the gospel?
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