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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Philip Milosavljevic

Does Adventism Work for Modern Young Adults?

Well, it is truly an honor to be here amongst you.

Thank you so much, Christian, for the invitation.

Thank you to the Advent Hope leadership team.

This is an amazing ministry for a few reasons.

I was just telling Ryan just a moment ago, you know, there are not a lot of places that are lay led, But there are not a lot of places that are led by young adults.

The fact that there is a mission and vision here that is so passionate that it convicts people to serve and give of themselves hours and hours is truly a vision and mission that is worth dying for.

The question I pose, which is also the title of my sermon this morning, does Adventism work for modern young adults?

Heavenly Father, would you be in the midst of this moment with us?

Jesus, usher us into a greater and more beautiful and extravagant understanding of what it is you're calling us to.

May we understand the ways of your people through history's time.

And Lord, may we receive that which you've yearned for us to have.

A conviction, a belief that compels us so much that leads us to lifelong faith.

Father, I pray over my brothers and sisters this morning.

In Judges chapter 2, we catch the story of God's people as 1 of their greatest leaders has just closed his eyes, cast his last breath.

Well the story goes back and forth a little bit if you catch it, what happened in Judges chapter 1.

You see Moses had died and he ushered in a new leader, Joshua, a young man who had spied out of the land and felt a call of faithfulness, no, I believe we can take the land.

And all the other spies besides he and Caleb said, no, no, no, that can't happen.

Their faithfulness and their dream proved to be correct.

Well Joshua leads God's people into faithfulness.

They enter into the promised land and it is truly a blessing.

They reach that which God had promised for so long.

But the context of what happens in chapter 1 is 1 of unfortunately half-hearted faithfulness.

You catch this beginning in verse 27, Manasseh didn't drive out the inhabitants.

Ephraim didn't drive out the inhabitants.

Verse 31, Asher didn't drive out the inhabitants.

Naphtali, verse 33, didn't drive out the inhabitants.

The Amorites then, verse 34, pressed the people into Dan and back into the hill country.

You see, God gave them the promised land, He told them what to do, but their half-hearted faithfulness Then drove the forces back.

You know, it's interesting when you talk about faithfulness.

I can't stand up here and tell you I'm a perfect person.

Not even a little bit am I a perfect person.

But I can tell you the moments in my life when I stood up to the ways and the deception that Satan's hand has had, I have had a blessing.

But it's in those moments that, Lord, just a little bit, come on, it couldn't be that bad.

It's a little bit too challenging, it's too difficult, it's a little bit hard to really kind of live up to this.

Come on, God, it's a modern world, you know, there's pressures, there's this and that.

Never has that proved to be a successful journey.

God's people called to take out the inhabitants of the land that they were occupying fully.

And we enter into our text for this morning in Judges chapter 2.

Beginning in chapter 2 and verse 1 through 5 tells of the story that unfortunately disobedience emerges at a great scale, a grave scale.

Verse 6, When Joshua dismissed the people of Israel, and each went to their inheritance to take possession of the land, the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done in Israel.

You see, people who see God's faithfulness firsthand, it's really tough for them to walk in disobedience.

It's really difficult When you see miracles happening in your life and those around you regularly, you're like, there's no way I could go against that.

Verse 8, And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at a hundred and 10, and they buried him within the boundaries of these inheritance in Tenath Hares, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gashah, and all the generations that were gathered to their fathers, now listen to this, and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel.

How in the world is it possible that another generation could arise that 2 things, would not know the Lord, or know the work of the Lord?

Imagine if all of a sudden veggie burgers just started falling.

God provides water in a desert where there is nothing.

Friends, I've camel trekked for a week in the desert in the Wadi Rum in Jordan is hot and there's no water.

God did miracle after miracle after miracle for his people, Provided food, provided ways, provided land.

But another generation rose up who did not know the Lord and did not know the works of Him.

Well how is it possible in today's world?

How is it possible that in today's world there are more walking out of the church than into the church?

Over the last 50 years, our Adventist statisticians in the GC at the Archives Department have documented that over 51 million people have become Adventist in these last 50 years.

And of that one-third, 60% were young adults.

Does Adventism work for modern young adults?

Statistics continue to show that 50 to 70 percent, depending upon the church community and area, young adults are walking out of the church faster than they're coming in.

After high school, it's reported that literally more walk out than come in.

So how is it possible that a generation of God's chosen people would not know him and secondly would not know the wonders of his works in the past.

I want to turn to Romans chapter 1 for a second.

Paul, speaking to his wayward Roman family, he tells them this.

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Does Adventism Work for Modern Young Adults?

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