Innovator Youth Lesson (2022)

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year and that’s not me trying to be a suck-up. Genuinely, the week before New Years is always a fun week to reflect on all that has happened over the last year and to get ready for what God has in store in the year to come! A new year brings with it a lot of unexpected things and a lot of question marks but it also brings with it a seemingly endless list of possibilities. Some of you will graduate high school and this year will be a year of great change. Others of you will move from one school to another. Some of you will make new lifelong friends. Others will start a new job or learn a new hobby or try a new activity. The year to come is yours for the taking but you have to have the right mindset as you enter it. We’re going to talk about this on Sunday morning but how many of you have heard of something called a New Years Resolution before? What is a New Years Resolution?

How long do you think the average New Years Resolution lasts?

25% of people who make a New Years Resolution don’t even make it 1 week!

The average American breaks their New Years Resolution after 32 days

Why do you think people only last 1 month with their New Years Resolution?

Lack of focus

Bad resolution

Don’t try hard enough

This week, I’m going to challenge you all with a New Years Resolution and I think most of you all will fail but I want to be proven wrong and I think you all are capable of proving me wrong. In 2023, I challenge each of you to read your Bible for 5 minutes each day.

The only way that you’ll succeed is to understand your purpose and the only way to understand God’s purpose for your life is to know God. The only way to know God is to know His Word and discover what Jesus Christ has done for you. Other things matter, but reading your Bible daily is the most important thing that you can do if you seriously want to grow spiritually. 5 minutes / day = that’s your challenge!

Your generation, Gen-Z, is resilient and technologically advanced unlike any other generation in human history. Lots of older folks talk about the younger generation in negative terms and there are some negative things, but there’s negative things with every generation. Your generation has a lot of positive things going for you! Your generation is learning to work smarter, not harder. Your generation has learned that you can do some amazing things through technology. Your generation has learned how to deal with a global pandemic and you survived and, I hope, came out the other side stronger. There’s a lot of great things with Gen-Z, but there’s also a lot of bad and confusing. Your generation, unlike any other generation, isn’t sold on absolute truth. Because of this, most in Gen-Z believe in their feelings above everything else. How many of you know someone who considers themselves to be LGBTQ? I’m 1 year off from being Gen-Z, I guess that makes me a young millennial unlike some of these other leaders… Did you know that in 2022, 10% of millennials identified as being LGBTQ? 1 out of 10. What do you think about Gen-Z? More or less?

More than 20% of Gen-Z identifies as LGBTQ. That’s more than doubled from one generation to the next and it shows no sign of stopping with Generation Alpha (10 and younger).

Gen-Z, unlike any generation before, is feelings based and this leads to trends like this growing… but it also means that Gen-Z, unlike any generation before, does not care about religion on average. More than half of Gen-Z identifies as atheist or agnostic. This means that either they believe there is no god or there is a god but this God isn’t knowable.

Now, you all are smart. Gen-Z doesn’t just take someone else’s word for something, they want to do the studying on their own and if that is you, more power to you! How many of you have taken a class like Chemistry, Trigonometry, Calculus, or Speech and debate or public speaking? Those are hard classes! Even if you’re in middle school, you’ve learned some detailed information. You’re smart! Here’s what I believe - we don’t need to dumb down the Bible with you all. I think that you guys can have fun and learn some important truths from God’s Word like justification, sanctification, substitutionary atonement, inerrancy, or the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ. These are big words but you are smart people.

My goal for each of you this week and during your years at FBC Salem is that you would grow in your understanding of God’s Word and overall purpose for your life. 77% of Christians become followers of Christ before the age of 18. Where you are at today matters because it impacts the rest of your life. In your teenage years you are building a foundation and that foundation cannot be built on how you feel because how you feel will change. It must be built on something stronger and more secure. Today we’re going to kick off our lessons by looking at what God’s Word says about each one of us and we’re going to look at 4 main passages of Scripture.

We Are All Created By God

When it comes to things happening in our world, lots of people say that things happen because of luck, karma, or coincidence. Why do you think people believe these things?

It’s popular

People don’t want to give God credit

Do you know how insanely perfect conditions have to be for life to exist in our universe?

Whenever you jump, how do you know that you’re going to come back down to the ground? Gravity. Gravity is a very strong force but if you were to alter its strength by just a tiny degree stronger or weaker, you’d have a completely different universe. In fact, you’d possibly have a universe with no stars or planets if the force of gravity was altered by .00001 percent.

What about our DNA. Did you know that you have enough DNA in your body to go all the way to the sun and back to earth over 60 times? You and I have over a billion miles of DNA in our body - that’s insane! If your DNA was slightly altered, though, you’d not only have massive problems but you wouldn’t even be alive. All those miles of DNA have to be perfectly calculated.

What about the earth’s location in our galaxy? The earth is located on average 93 million miles away from the sun. If the earth were 2-3 million miles closer to the sun, on average, our planet would be uninhabitable. We’d burn up. If we were 5-6 million miles further away from the sun, we’d have the opposite problem!

You can’t help but look at the world around you and not be amazed that everything from our DNA to our placement in the galaxy, to the force of gravity are perfectly aligned for life to not only exist but to thrive. There are too many variables to just say that it was random chance… it’s clear that there is a creator who knew what He was doing and this same creator God knew what He was doing whenever He made you and me. Let’s look at Psalm 139:13-14 and see what the Bible says about you and me

Psalm 139:13–14 CSB

13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.

What are some lies that people say about birth or human life?

You’re unplanned

You’re an accident

You’re a mistake

You shouldn’t be here

These are lies that lots of people believe! If you’re going to stand out in Gen-Z and be salt and light like Jesus wants you to be, you must first believe that you are created by God. You are not unplanned - the Bible tells us that God already planned your days. You are not an accident - God created you. You’re not a mistake - God has a purpose for you. You are here for a reason. It is crucial for us to remember that God created us.

We Are Created in God’s Image

Not only did God create us, though, He made us in His image! Could someone turn to the first book in the Bible and read Genesis 1:26-27?

Genesis 1:26–27 CSB

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

Notice that the Bible doesn’t say that males are created in God’s image and females are not. Every single human being is made in God’s image. And the Bible tells us that there are males and females. The sexual revolution is a storm that is consuming your generation and leaving people confused, depressed, and longing for something to satisfy the void in their heart.

Lots of people will argue that the Bible is outdated and doesn’t have the authority to tell us how we should live our lives. Have you ever heard someone say that? Maybe you think that way sometimes too! Let’s question that logic. Is the Bible outdated? How would you answer that question from someone?

To say that something is outdated is usually to argue that there is something better now. Take the iPhone 4. Have you ever seen an iPhone 4? That was my first iPhone. Let’s compare the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 14 max.

Iphone 4 - 3.5 inches

iPhone 14 - 6.7 inches

iPhone 4 - 720p video quality

iPhone 14 - 4k video quality

iPhone 4 - 10 hours of battery life

iPhone 14 - 25 hours of battery life

We would say that the iPhone 4 is outdated not only because it is 12 years old but because there’s a better option (many better options!) available. Is it that way with the Bible? The Bible is 4000 years old in some places and 2000 years old in other places. That’s old! But is there a better option out there to help us live a life of purpose and do what we are made to do? That answer is no. The stories and principles in the Bible aren’t outdated. The author of the Bible isn’t dead - He’s just as alive today as He was then!

See, the Bible has the authority to tell us how to live today because God is its author. God is our creator. God made us in His image. God gets to set the rules because 3rd, God created you and I for a reason with a purpose in mind.

We Are Created for a Purpose

So, if the Bible is our authority, if God made us, and if we’re made in His image, why did God create us?

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

One of the reasons God made us was to glorify Him with everything that we do! One of the ways that we glorify God is by understanding what God’s plan is for us. This requires us to read the Bible, pray, worship with God’s people and those types of things. As we seek God’s will, we begin to understand that God has a plan for our lives. This is what God’s Word says in Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29:11 CSB

11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Here’s what your book doesn’t say about Jeremiah 29:11. Jeremiah 29 is written to the Israelites who are in exile in Babylon. What was God’s plans for the Israelites? To give them over to the Babylonians.

What was God’s plan for Daniel?

Be thrown into Lion’s Den

What was God’s plan for Peter?

Be crucified upside down

What was God’s plan for Jesus?

Be crucified

God has a purpose for each one of us but we have to be careful not to insert our desires into God’s purpose. God’s purpose for your life might be to become the next Steve Jobs and come up with a multi-billion dollar company like Apple. God’s purpose for your life might be to become a school teacher and work for 30 years teaching students English or Math. God’s purpose for your life might be to go into ministry. God’s purpose for your life might be to become a doctor. God’s purpose for your life isn’t always easy… but it’s always worth it!

As you get ready to enter a new year, think God’s purpose for your life. If you’re in school, God has placed you in your classes not only to learn but also to be a witness for Him! If you’re playing sports or doing an extra-curricular activity, God has placed you there not only to do a good job and get better, but also to use your talents to glorify Him! God has gifted you for a reason - think about that reason today.

We Must See the World the Way God Does

How many of you have heard the statement: Love is Love

What do people usually mean by that statement?

The Bible talks a lot about love, but we have to qualify what we mean by love. Jesus tells us that there are 2 commands that are the most important, does anyone know what they are?

Matthew 22:34–40 CSB

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Love God and Love Others

Our world likes to talk about love and we usually define love based on how we feel. Maybe today I love pizza but tomorrow pizza doesn’t sound very good and I love tacos instead. Whenever we talk about loving God and God loving us, do those things ever change? God’s love doesn’t ever waver. You might do something really dumb and drop the ball big time, but God won’t love you any less! This is good news. We have to look at the Bible and our lives the way that God does if we’re going to fulfill our God-given purpose and stand out in our world.

So how can we see our world the way that God does?

Remember Whose you are

God created you for a reason and a purpose. You and I are called to love our God and love others with everything that we do. This requires us to not just talk a good talk but to walk the walk as well and love others as God has loved us.

Remember that God’s way isn’t always the easy way

Following God and His plan isn’t always easy… sometimes it’s really hard! Do you know the story of the Good Samaritan? If you’ve heard that story before you know that there is a man who is hurt on the side of the road and a priest passes by - this is like a pastor today - and what does he do? He doesn’t do the Godly thing, he does the easy thing, and walks by on the other side of the road… Then a levite does the same thing - this is like a Sunday school teacher or a church secretary - and he passes by on the other side of the street too! Then finally a Samaritan, who the Jews hated, comes over and helps the man in need! This was hard. This cost the Samaritan. But it was the right thing to do.

If you want to see the world the way that God does and fulfill your God-given purpose, you must be willing to stand on what the Bible says… even when it’s hard! Because the Bible is always right.

Remember that God made you to demonstrate His love

As you enter a new year, think of ways that you can use your time, talent, and treasure to share the love of God with others. Not a human love that is here one day and gone the next, but God’s love. Ultimately God’s love is best shared in the Gospel story. Have you ever heard the Gospel before?

What does the word Gospel mean?

Good news

What is the good news? Before we get there we have to uncover the bad news. What is the bad news in the Gospel story?

You and I have sinned against God! Sin is anything we think, say, do, or don’t do that displeases God. Romans 3:23 tells us that we’ve all sinned. We’ve all lied, stolen, hated someone, had a bad thought, disrespected our parents or teachers, or cheated before. We call those mistakes but the Bible calls those things sin. Sin separates us from God and the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that the wages of our sin is death.

Think about it this way. If a person killed another person for no reason in cold blood and this case was brought to a judge, that judge would say that the man who shot the other person is guilty of murder because he is a good, just, judge. For the judge to be good, he must punish those who are guilty. This is the same thing with God. For God to be just, He must punish those who are guilty. Lots of people in your generation believe that God is a jerk because the Bible talks about punishing sin… God isn’t a jerk, God is just. Our sinful actions make us deserving of God’s judgment. This isn’t good news… but thankfully the good news comes from Jesus Christ as we read about what He did for us in the New Testament.

God cannot allow guilty sinners into heaven. He is too holy and we are too sinful. There’s a gap that we can’t climb… so God sent His Son to climb the gap for us. Jesus lived a perfect life and died in our place. He rose back to life 3 days later. The good news is that there is eternal life found in Jesus Christ! This week we’re looking at our purpose and it all starts with God! God created us. He created us in His image. He sent His Son to die in our place on the cross. The good news is that Jesus offers to forgive you of your sins, save you, and help you uncover God’s purpose for your life. What must we do? The Bible tells us that we must repent of our sins, ask God to forgive us, believe that Jesus is the Son of God that He claimed to be, and we must follow after Him daily - not just once or twice when it’s easy.

Whenever Jesus saves you, He saves you for a reason! He saves you to serve Him and to stand out in your community. Your generation is so talented and gifted, but your generation is so lost. Your generation needs Christians who love them enough to speak the truth to them in love as Ephesians 4:15 commands. Are you committed enough to Jesus Christ to be the person that they desperately need?

Maybe today you are the person who desperately needs Jesus to forgive you of your sins. If that is you, I’d love to talk with you about what Jesus has done for me.