Sermon Tone Analysis

WHAT? What are we talking about today?

ACTIVITY | Agree or Disagree?

Welcome back to Justice for All, where we're talking about what justice is (and what it isn't).

We've got a great conversation ahead of us today, but to start us off, let's talk about who you are (and who you're not).

INSTRUCTIONS: Designate one side of the room as the "Agree" side, and the other side of the room as "Disagree."

After reading each of the following statements, have students run (or skip, walk, or roll) to the side of the room they think is true of themselves.

After each statement, give a few students a chance to share why they chose the side they did.

I'll read a few statements and you can decide: agree or disagree?

You have an interesting life.

Maybe you're just lucky or maybe you work to make your life interesting!

You are bold.

You're fierce!

You're strong!

You take risks!

You attract attention.

People seem to like you and want to be around you!

You've paid your dues.

You've worked hard for all the things you've achieved!

You think outside the box.

You don't think like everyone else does!

You're comfortable being a little different.

You stand for something.

You know who you are and what matters to you!

No matter how you responded, these qualities and traits are all great to have, but let's be honest — if you are any of these things, you probably have some haters.

Having these qualities can sometimes make others feel . . .

Jealous.

Uncomfortable.

Intimidated.

Annoyed.

Threatened.

Title Slide

STORY | Talk about a time someone was "ruthless" to you.

We all get into conflict with others once in a while.

But sometimes our "haters" can be ruthless.

INSTRUCTIONS: Tell a story from your own life (or ask a volunteer or student to tell a story) about a time when someone was ruthless to you.

You can keep this story lighthearted by talking about a friendly prank war or some goodnatured teasing between friends, or you can be more vulnerable by talking about a time you really struggled because of someone else's cruelty.

Growing up, each summer I worked for construction crews framing houses.

I was with my dad’s crew for five years, and another crew for four years.

On one of these crews, there was a dude name Keith.

Keith was a hard worker but a really rough dude.

He was an alcoholic who drank so much his voice was raspy, and he also did some drugs.

But Ole’ Keith was cool with me bc I got out there and worked hard like he did.

But one summer his daughter Lynne came down from North Carolina.

Lynne and I kinda talked that summer, and he didn’t like that too much.

Keith’s attitude towards me changed.

He started to get angry with me every day at work until eventually he got up in my face and started screaming and cussing me out cause I messed up on some part of the house we were working on..

Here I am like 16 years old and got this 40 year old half crazy dude up in my face and I didn’t know what to do bc I had never been screamed at like that before...

In both small and big ways, humans can be ruthless to one another.

Bullies can be ruthless.

Fake friends can be ruthless.

Internet trolls can be ruthless.

But nothing hurts more than when your own flesh and blood — your family — attacks you.

Ruthless behavior isn't something that just happens now in the 21st century.

People have been cruel toward one another for a long time.

For as long as there have been humans, there has been jealousy and fights for power.

OBJECT LESSON | Tower of Hope

Have you ever experienced someone's ruthlessness?

Have you ever felt like someone (or everyone) was completely against you?

Maybe you've been hurt by someone in your family.

Maybe you've been devastated by something that's been done to you.

How do you hold on to hope when you've been a victim of ruthless injustice?

How do you get past bitterness when everything within you hurts?

When it feels like people are out to get us, we need a firm foundation to help us withstand the weight and pressure of those challenges.

SO WHAT?

Why does it matter to God and to us?

OBJECT LESSON | A Coat of Many Colors

INSTRUCTIONS: Bring back that coat or robe from last week.

When you talk about it, put it on or show it off.

When the coat is taken from Joseph, take it off or throw it on the ground.

SCRIPTURE | Genesis 37:12-24

Last week, we were introduced to a guy named Joseph.

We're going to continue that story today.

In case you missed it or forgot, here's what's happened so far:

Joseph has eleven brothers, and most of them hate him.

That's because their father, Jacob, loves Joseph more than the rest of them, and it's really obvious — Jacob even gives Joseph a special coat and tells him to spy on his brothers for him.

But that's not the only reason.

God speaks to Joseph in a dream.

In the dream, Joseph sees he will one day be in a position of authority, ruling over his brothers.

So Joseph brags about it.

When Joseph tells his brothers he's going to be in charge of them, they are not happy.

Their hatred for him grows and grows, until — well, let's see what happens next.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Genesis 37:17-24

As Joseph was arriving to where his brothers were working, they saw him coming from a distance.

Remember, Joseph's father had given him a bright designer coat that his brothers were jealous of.

Everyone in the neighborhood could probably see Joseph coming from a mile away!

When Joseph's brothers saw him coming their way and remembered how he thought he was so much better than them, they were filled with jealousy and anger.

In their anger, they made a decision.

They didn't just want to kill his dreams.

They wanted to kill him.

But luckily for Joseph, Joseph's oldest brother, Reuben, intervened.

He said, “We’re not going to kill Joseph.

No murder.

But yeah, he needs to go, so let's just throw him in this well out here in the wilderness and leave him there.”

Reuben secretly planned to go back later, get Joseph out, and take him back to their father.

But he couldn't tell his brothers that because otherwise they might not agree to go along with the plan.

Joseph's coat was torn from his body to send a message: "You're no better than us!

You're just an arrogant little boy with dreams!"

SCRIPTURE | Genesis 37:24-36

INSTRUCTIONS: Read or summarize Genesis 37:24-36

So they threw Jospeh into this well, and then some people called Ishmaelites walked up on these guys as they were on their way to Egypt.