Church Of Christ - Youth Group

Let’s take a look in one of my favorite books of the Bible this morning. 1 John 4:16-21 is what we’re reading and it’s all good.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

When I was little, there were several times when people, even my family made fun of me or never paid attention to me. When I was faced with those times, I usually went into my bedroom and thought to myself, “Why doesn’t anybody love me?” Have you ever felt this way? Well, whenever I did, my mother came in and comforted me and told me to remember that they not only loved me, but God loves me too.

It says in I John 4 that God is love and that we need not fear Him. That is the greatest comfort to me besides the fact that Jesus died and took away all of my sins. It should be a comfort to you too. God loves you no matter what you do. You are His child and He sent His Son for you. What could be more comforting? You can not ever truthfully say that no one loves you, because God will always love you.

Whenever you feel this way, all you have to do is pray to God and He will comfort you. You have no reason to worry; because, yes, God loves even you.

Points To Ponder: Why shouldn’t you have any worries about no one loving you? Why do you think God sent His only Son for you? How do you show your appreciation to God for His love?

Prayer Possibilities: Thank God for His love. Ask God for His comfort. Tell God that you love Him.

Today we’re talking about gossip. Almost everyone does it and most deny that they do. What’s worse some people gossip about how other people gossip too much! Take a look at Isaiah 6:6-8 as we begin.

“Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Don’t you hate when someone talks badly about you? Even worse, when your friends do it? Can you blame them? Havn’t you done the same thing to others? As much as you try not to talk about people, you do. If you’re in a group that’s talking about someone they don’t like, but you like that person, do you stand up for them? Or do you just go along with it? What happens if you do stick up for that person and tell your friends to stop talking about them? Maybe they will get really quiet and look at you with this big attitude, right? It’s a scary situation.

However, God tells us in Isaiah, “See this had touched your lips, your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Jesus took care of all our sins when He died for us, but that doesn’t give us the right to talk about others because we know we’re forgiven.

God also says in Isaiah, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here I am. Send me!’” We should be the first people to want to witness our faith and not be embarrassed to tell others to stop gossiping. You shouldn’t be afraid to witness, because in the end, your friends follow your lead and respect you more for standing up to them.

Points To Ponder: Why are we afraid to witness our faith to other Christians if they know they’re to do the same thing? How would you stick up for someone who’s being talked badly about in a way that your friends would understand you? How can you prevent yourself from talking about others?

Prayer Possibilities: Ask for help to not talk badly about people you don’t know and not to judge them as you probably do now. Ask for help to witness your faith to others and not be afraid to stand up for those that are being talked about. If your witness is not accepted, then at least your faith will have been strengthened.

Let’s just get to it this morning with a look at an awesome Psalm. It’s Psalm 100, and it’s a good’er!!

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Back in Bible School I was walking down the hall to chapel one day, I was telling my friend how I hadn’t slept much the night before because I had to work and finish my homework. He too had the same story. The last thing he said was, “I hope there isn’t anyone boring for chapel today.” I was quick to answer and said, “Yeah. But then you wouldn’t have a hard time falling asleep.” He laughed, nodding his head in agreement.

This seems to be the case all too often. We’re too busy with our lives, that we don’t take the time to recognize all God has done for us. We take too many of God’s blessings for granted. Instead, we should acknowledge and praise God for the riches and grace He gives us everyday. Take the words, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful song” (Psalm 100:1-2) to heart.

Next time you go to chapel or any worship service, don’t think of it as a chance to catch up on your sleep, but an opportunity to personally praise and thank God for the gifts He has given you and those around you. Remember what His Son, Jesus, went through for our salvation and thank God that He does not ignore us when we need Him.

Points To Ponder: How do you view your worship life; healthy or unhealthy? Why? What could you do to get more involved in the worship of our Lord?

Prayer Possibilities: Thank God for your talents, abilities, family and gifts He has given to you. Thank God for the sacrifice He made of His Son for the forgiveness of all. Ask God for a strong faith to keep His Word and doctrine true to your heart.

This morning we are looking at some encouraging verses from Ezekiel 34:11-16. This kinda follows what we’ve been looking at earlier in the week. God is our Father, and that makes us his kids. He’s a good Dad and wants us to be safe. Read the verses below or at the link above.

“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”

Have you ever thought God has forgotten about you? Did you think, “I’m not important, why should He care about me?” Most people have thought this way sometime. Maybe you think you’re not good at anything, and that you don’t have any skills.

Well, in Ezekiel 34:11, the Lord says, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.” This is very comforting. God says He will look after us. He never forgets about us.

Life can be very depressing. Maybe your parents got a divorce, a loved one died, you were betrayed by a friend, or it’s just not going well at school. You wonder when you will ever be content again. If you feel this way now, take comfort in Ezekiel 34:16, where God says, “I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.”

So, the next time you think God doesn’t care, remember, YOU are His child.

Points To Ponder: Why did you ever think God forgot about you? What did you do when you felt this way? If you feel this way now, why?

Prayer Possibilities: Ask God for a stronger faith. Ask for forgiveness for not trusting Him. Thank God for caring about you.

In the book of Galatians we see an interesting concept about Good vs. Evil, Ying vs. Yang. Read Galatians 5:16-24 to see what I’m talking about. I’ve quoted the whole passage below so that you will read it all. It’s good stuff.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

In many books and movies there is the theme of good vs. evil. The knight vs. the dragon is just one example. If you know it or not, you are affected by this concept every day, but instead of having the knight vs. the dragon, there is the Spirit vs. the flesh.

This conflict goes on in our minds and in the actions we do. We also are tempted by the flesh to drink or do drugs, or maybe covet something somebody else has. These sinful desires can be put away if we follow the Spirit, and by love serve one another. The only way we can stand up to temptations is if the Spirit helps us in fighting against the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit guide us to do the right thing. Paul says in Galatians 5:22-24, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These things may be good for battling against the flesh, but they can’t save us. We are still saved by faith in Jesus alone. In following the Spirit, you crucify the sinful nature.

The Spirit will help us fight the flesh and the win conflict of good and evil.

Points To Ponder: What conflicts do we face in our lives everyday? What are some fruits of the Spirit? What are we saved by?

Prayer Possibilities: Pray that the Spirit will help guide us in our life. Ask that we can use the gifts of the Spirit. Pray that the Spirit will overcome the flesh.