Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

This morning we are again going to be , and we will be talking about how God Made Man and it was very good.

To introduce this idea, we will first hear the hopeful story of a boy named Foli, who was rescued from slavery by the International Justice Mission.

Take a look.

Then we began this Gospel Project initiative just last week.

I have to tell you I have been torn on what to do today because I am convinced that God is already working through the Gospel Project…just as I was convinced that He wanted us to spend one Sunday this year with a focus on Freedom for those caught in the abuses of modern day slavery.

So I didn’t know what to do.

Have you ever had that experience when there are two good things that you know God would be pleased with and you feel like you have to chose one or the other.

Those are really hard places to be in, and the only way that I know to handle them is to pray and ask God what direction He would want you to go.

Sometimes in my life he had just said, Choose one - I’ll bless which ever one you chose.

Sometimes he had said, “Choose this one, because this is what is needed at this time and I will see to the other in my perfect timing”

Video: The Deep Place - Foli’s Story

And sometimes he shows you how both are possible and not just that they are possible, but they will actually make each other even better.

That is what I believe God has lead us to this morning.

So we are going to focus in on Freedom Sunday just like so many other Churches are around the World, but we are going to look at it through the lens of the topic of “God’s Good People” that we have from the Gospel Project.

The big idea for us this morning is that “People were created by God to bear His image in every face of our lives”.

I invite you consider that truth as we experience this hopeful story of a young boy named Foli:

The big idea for us this morning is that “People were created by God to bear His image in every face of our lives”.

I invite you consider that truth as we hear the story of a young boy named Foli:

Video: The Deep Place - Foli’s Story

Tell me that there isn’t something that this story touches in you deep inside.

If the video was too dark to see or difficult to follow, let me fill you in a little more on Foli’s story from IJM.

Tension

Foli grew up in a poor family in the country of Ghana.

His mother was absent and his father died before he was born, so he grew up living with his grandparents on a farm.

He loved living on the farm.

When his grandfather was injured in an accident, a relative offered to care for Foli until he healed.

His grandparents accepted, but they had no idea what lay ahead for Foli.

he was born, so he grew up living with his grandparents.

¡¡ When his grandfather was injured in an accident, a relative offered to care for

Foli until he healed.

His grandparents accepted, but they had no idea what lay

ahead for Foli.

To set the stage even more it might be helpful to know that there are 25 million people who live in Ghana, and almost 10% of the population lives on less than $2 per day.

Nearly 50,000 children work in Ghana’s fishing industry, with tens of thousands working at Lake Volta alone.

Globally there are an estimated 40.3 million people held in slavery today. 1 in 4 victims of forced labor is a child.

IJM has helped rescue more than 17,000 people from forced labor slavery.

The youngest child rescued from Lake Volta was four years old.

Foli clearly remembers the moment his new boat master told him he would be going to work on the lake.

He arrived at his new home on a remote island with no school or medical facilities.

The next day he began fishing.

than $2 per day.

the lake.

He arrived at his new home on a remote island with no school or medical facilities.

The

next day he began fishing.

next day he began fishing.

Nineteen-hour work days would become routine for Foli.

Monday through Friday, his day started

Nineteen-hour work days would become routine for Foli.

Monday through Friday, his day started at 1 a.m. when he would row out in the dark of night to set the fishing nets.

Foli would return at 6 a.m. to collect the fish and take them to market, where he would sell them until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

He would go to sleep about 8 p.m., only to start again in a few hours.

at 1 a.m. when he would row out in the dark of night to set the fishing nets.

Foli would return at 6

at 1 a.m. when he would row out in the dark of night to set the fishing nets.

Foli would return at 6

a.m. to collect the fish and take them to market, where he would sell them until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

a.m. to collect the fish and take them to market, where he would sell them until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

¡¡ 1 in 4 victims of forced labor is a child.

He would go to sleep about 8 p.m., only to start again in a few hours.

He would go to sleep about 8 p.m., only to start again in a few hours.

Despite not knowing how to swim when he arrived at the lake, he had the dangerous job of diving

Despite not knowing how to swim when he arrived at the lake, he had the dangerous job of diving into the murky water to untangle nets when they caught on branches.

He knew of other boys who dove to untangle a net and never came back to the surface.

into the murky water to untangle nets when they caught on branches.

He knew of other boys who

into the murky water to untangle nets when they caught on branches.

He knew of other boys who

dove to untangle a net and never came back to the surface.

¡¡ Nearly 50,000 children work in Ghana’s fishing industry, with tens of thousands

dove to untangle a net and never came back to the surface.

“Sometimes when people go on the lake, and their boats capsize, those who can’t swim die.

I was

“Sometimes when people go on the lake, and their boats capsize, those who can’t swim die.

I was sad whenever I saw this.” - Foli

sad whenever I saw this.” - Foli

Tension

sad whenever I saw this.” - Foli

If you are like me then a flood of emotions are run through your heart and mind when you hear a story like this one.

Sadness, anger, compassion and a drive to do something seem to all crash together in such an overwhelming way that can make us feel hopeless to do anything about it.

But you know that this is wrong, and if you thought you could do something about it you would.

This emotional drive that is swelling up inside of you was placed there by God when he created you.

That is part of what being made in the “image of God” is all about.

Every person, whether a follower of Jesus or not, will feel some degree of impact over a story like this.

While each of us is tainted by our sin, there is still a remnant of the character and image of God inside all of us.

That is what we are going to look into today as we dive into the part of God’s Story where He created our first parents, Adam and Eve.

This is one of the places where our two focuses today align.

That emotional drive that is swelling up inside of you was placed there by God when he created you.

That is part of what being made in the image of God is all about.

Every person, where a follower of Jesus or not, will feel some degree of impact over a story like this.

While each of us is tainted to one degree or another by our sin, there is still a remnant of the character and image of God inside all of us.

That is what we are going to look into today as we dive into the part of God’s Story where He created our first parents, Adam and Eve.

So open up with me if you will to last section of Genesis chapter 1, still on page 1, I’ll pray and we will see what God wants to teach us about us this morning.

FOLI’S STORY – PART 2

¡¡ IJM has helped rescue more than 17,000 people from forced labor slavery.

Tension

Truth

At this point in our text God has created everything else in the known

In , Paul warns us to “not think of ourselves more highly than we ought”, but sometimes I think we swing the pendulum too far and we have a hard time thinking anything good about humanity.