Sermon Tone Analysis

The Next Generation

judges 2.10-

judges 2.8-10

Revival Losing Our Influence

In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes.

6 problems and 5 Answers

In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes.

And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

loosing influence

Pul Harvey in 1965 called it out....

Pul Harvey in 1965 called it out....

Have things changed?

Christianity is in trouble

· America is in trouble.

· America is in trouble.

The financial world has been rocked.

Most stocks are overvalued and a bubble may burst...

· The financial world has been rocked.

Most stocks are overvalued and a bubble may burst...

· We read every day about horrific crimes against children.

We have had scandals involving the priesthood, the Catholic priesthood and protestants as well and Baptist

Every day there is an ideological blood bath in our schools and universities.

Prayer taken out of public arena.

Free speech about faith is being challenged on a regular basis.

PC - is the state of affairs today and the mere mention in the public arena of absolutes is hate speech and deserves to be banned.

Student loan debt for degrees that Universities fully well knew offered no chance for a job in that career are in the trillions.

These chickens are coming home to roost

Young people are so in debt that many live at home until their mid twenties

Church’s are in Trouble

Church’s are in Trouble

· Church attendance is interrupted by sports, ball-games and leisure activities - we will fit it in is the new mantra.

parents remember whast you do in moderation your children will do in excess

· Pastors and leaders have to offer bigger and better to people will go to the “other church”

· Pastors and leaders have to offer bigger and better to people will go to the “other church”

Mean while the unchurched of as some call it “nones” is the largest demographic group now.

You

· Acceptance of clear Biblical standards such as sex outside of marriage , homosexuality and lesbianism is eroding.

many church will not even discuss them

In conservative church they have locked themselves in a bubble and thrown away the key

In conservative church they have locked themselves in a bubble and thrown away the key

thinking the methods of the 50-70 will make some comeback

·People give and spend so much on themselves but never can’t even tip God on Sunday for a tithe…..

1,000’s of churches close every year

You know, we see these as problems and certainly they are problems and they are reflections of the fallenness of our world.

Key - But we see them against a backdrop of comfort, prosperity, wealth, freedom, democracy.

What we're seeing in America is depravity bursting through some of the protective fences that we've tried to build around it.

Key - We've tried to deal with morality on a cultural basis, on a law basis.

We've tried to maintain a Judeo/Christian moral standard in America and we've been able to do that through the centuries.

Moral standards, and all of those things seem very clearly to be in rapid decline.

But guess what not anymore!

The

And as the non-Christians began to out number the Christians and as they begin to gain the ascendency and the power and the culture moves away from the Christian beginnings, such as we had in America and the same is true in Europe

Moral standards, and all of those things seem very clearly to be in rapid decline.

It is an indication of the fact that ungodliness dominates to the point where, you know, there is this tremendous forceful lobby that wants to allow for freedom and wants to make sure that no Christian standards impinge on anybody and they keep it at bay by saying,

People have lost their mornings....

If you just look in the short span of my life time at the decline of society, the level of hostility against Christianity, the looseness of our moral standards, and all of those things seem very clearly to be in rapid decline.

The answer please listen

What is the Answer - we need to know the God of the Bible and see Him work

The next generation believes:

Its that we have left our first love

Problem # 1 – Truth is Relative

;

The Bible is the standard for all faith and practice.

However, for those that claim to know God …for some the truth found in God’s Word is relative and only applied in situational ethics.....

If it is true what some people say that “Everything is relative” then nothing is because that is your truth and not mine or it might be my truth but it’s not yours.

If the Word of God was true thousands of years ago then it is still true today.

If we trust on human opinion or feelings, then we throw out objective truth.

Today, everything in society seems to be subjective or relative to the culture today.

It is like “Well, that is your truth but for me this is what is true.”

If 2 + 2 equals 4 then that is going to be true a thousand years from today.

If truth is relative or subjective, a student who received their test paper and received a wrong checkmark next to 2 + 2 = 5 then the teacher can’t teach anything.

The child might say, “Well to you the answer is 4 but for me, it was 5 because that is my truth.”

Something is either true or it is not.

There is no rationalizing objective truth.

There are object truths and these truths are found in the Scriptures.

If someone says that biblical teaching is irrelevant today or that some of the teachings are not for us today, then ask, “Well, what about Jesus’ death?

Was that only for then too?” 

Post-modernism which says, you know, modernism was the search for the truth; post-modernism is there is no truth,

Post-modernism which says, you know, modernism was the search for the truth; post-modernism is there is no truth,

Post-modernism which says, you know, modernism was the search for the truth; post-modernism is there is no truth,

· You have your truth,

· I have my truth,

· Whatever works for you is fine for you

· Emerging Church,

· The standard is gone the lines of distinction are gone

And now you have a massive collision without a standard, without a plumb line, without an objective, definitive standard that applies to everybody.

no winner

No looser

everybody get a trophy for trying

No base line - laying out a building

The next generation knew not the Lord!

Problem # 2 No Standard - In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes

Problem # 2 No Standard

related to #1 - no base line to judge....

We make it up as we go along ....

it you say this is right or this is wrong ..... you will be torn apart.

Correctness is determined by you ..... you are Gods.

In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes

DIY – Church and Christianity