Sermon Tone Analysis

We live in a broken, messed up world.

(examples)

How did it get this way?

Some say it just is like this, and there’s no God.

Just chance.

Some say if there’s a God, He doesn’t care or isn’t able to do anything about this.

Some say there’s a God and His ways are so mysterious that we can’t make any of this make sense.

That’s close.

But no.

The Bible tells us of a God who made everything good.

Made humans to partner with Him, ruling the world, managing it, etc.

Humans chose to figure out right and wrong, life direction, etc. themselves without God.

When you unplug from the giver of life you head toward death.

For the wages of sin is death… Romans 6:23a ESV

Our relationship with God died.

Death invaded our relationship with each other.

Work is hard.

Childbirth is hard.

Marriage is a power struggle.

And we die.

And go to where the devil and his angels are going.

Hell.

Not good.

And it gets worse.

Adam and Eve’s oldest son murdered his younger brother because of his envy.

God preferred Abel’s sacrifice and rather than repent, Cain offed his brother.

Sin is hereditary.

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...

The story of Genesis shows us that it continues further into generations but gets even worse.

1.

We pass sin on, and it gets worse over time.

a.

Your kids become who you are.

Good and bad.

i. I’m my dad

ii.

Many have said that Joel is a mini-me

iii.

This is good and bad.

Whether we mean to or not we pass on what we are and what we know.

NOT NECESSARILY WHAT WE TEACH.

1.

This isn’t to say that we are fully responsible for everything the kids do.

They make their choices.

2. But our influence is strong.

3. And… being human, they inherit sin from us.

And we got it from our parents.

We are now broken and corrupt.

5.

All our goodness and potential has this asterisk on it.

b.

It’s been said that our kids take what we do a little of and do it A LOT.

c. Sin’s corruption is no different.

d.

Genesis 4:16

e. Adam and Eve tried to find blessing apart from God by eating forbidden fruit.

f.

Their firstborn son Cain murdered his younger brother.

g.

How can this get worse?

h.Genesis 4:16

i. “Nod” means “fugitive” btw

k.

People are developing technology, skills, music, city building, etc.

2.

Even when we are at our best, we are at our worst.

a. Civilization is growing.

But…

b.

Lamech “took” two wives!

i.

People acquiring women like property now?

ii.

And… how many did God make for Adam?

iii.

The value and purpose of marriage is being altered (sound familiar?).

NOTHING NEW.

iv.

And so is the value of human life… people made in God’s image.

d.

We pass sin on and it gets worse over time.

e.

When Adam and Eve were caught, they played the blame game.

f.

When Cain was caught, he tried to not be responsible.

Then complained about the consequences.

g.

Some guy offends Lamech so he murders him.

What does he do?

Writes a song that literally teases God’s mercy, and sings it to his wives.

h.

The curse of sin is getting worse.

i.

Even when we try, it isn’t good enough.

k.

Is there no hope?

l.

Remember the passage in Ephesians?

Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.