Thursday Night Lesson (Following Through)

Introduction

I have had an absolutely amazing week at camp here with you guys, we’ve made memories, and friendships that I think will last well beyond Saturday morning when we get home.

Today I just want to touch base with you on what’s been going on this week. We have been busy, tired, and overall it’s just been a crazy week right?

But despite that craziness this week, there is a part of me that doesn’t want it to end. Falls Creek is one of my favorite places on earth, I got saved here, I asked Elaine to date me here, and so many other major moments in my life have happened right here.

Maybe you feel the same way, maybe you have enjoyed being here so much and even just the thought of leaving makes your soul sad. It does that for me

See one of my favorite parts about Falls Creek is just the atmosphere, volleyball, icees, Christianity all around us, people who are there to uplift us in our faith, to push us on to run the race of life for Christ.

But there is one thing that has always troubled my heart about the days, weeks, months, and years that are after Falls Creek.

and that’s The Follow Through.

So I’ll ask you the question what’s next for you?

I’ve been the student myself that was so pulled into that spiritual high that I wasn’t ready and expecting the storm of life that comes Saturday once we get home

See maybe you came to Falls Creek this week already secure in your eternity through your relationship with Christ or maybe you came this week with questions and made the decision to put your faith in Jesus and secure an eternity with him!

Last night in our cabin, Jesus became the savior of 6 students in the room with you today and they secured their eternity in Christ, can we just take a moment and give him a hand clap of praise to God for these salvations.

and I’m so excited for those student’s and what the Lord will do in them and through them for his glory, but the question still looms large of

What’s next for you?

I want to continue to work through John 14 today and really focus in on the next phase for you. Today I want to summarize for you briefly 3 major things you can know to help you with what’s next.

So if you have your copy of God’s word turn with me today to John 14:15-21 and read

John 14:15–17 CSB

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

#1 The Holy Spirit Lives In You

This is the first thing I want you to know today, that if Jesus is your king and your saviour, the holy spirit of God lives in you.

I’ve always thought of Falls Creek as the most pure , outdoorsy place i regularly go to. It’s this big baptist bubble that is off the beaten trail from the regular world around us. It’s filled with Christianity and people to help uplift you, but Listen when we get home, it won’t feel so pure and clean. There won’t always be 25 other Christians around you and church lessons multiple times a day.

The reality is this when we get home, there will be times where you feel like your drowning in your faith, like the weight of the world is too much for you to bear, but I want you to know this, that if God’s spirit is in you, you have oxygen. We can fight and fight all we want, but without him we will drown.

Allow God to be your oxygen when we get home.

Listen when we allow God to be our oxygen and the holy spirit to live inside our hearts, people notice. The world can’t have the Holy Spirit within them because they don’t know him, so when the passage says that we, as Christians do know him, understand that the passage is saying we have a gift. A gift to share with those who don’t know Him.

I know how hard that process can be, I know it can be scary to tell others about Jesus, who knows what they believe right?! I also know it can be scary to come forward and make a decision of faith, whether that be salvation, a call to ministry, or whatever it might be, it can feel like a lonely process.

When I got saved here at Falls Creek 5 years ago, I was terrified. I was here with Elaine and I knew she cared and would have no judgement at all for me, but deep down I was still terrified.

I would hear the alter call each night and be torn at the heart because I knew that I needed to respond.

I knew I needed to put my faith in Jesus as my savior.

but the fear of feeling alone kept me from making that decision.

I want you to know this today, that you have a heavenly father who loves and cares about you.

stick with me in the passage

#2 We have a Heavenly Father Who Cares

John 14:18–20 CSB

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.

Notice in this passage, it says God will not leave you as orphans. Listen, God cares about you.

When We accept the gift of salvation from Christ it changes everything. We look different, we walk different, we see the world different, and listen to this the world notices.

The world recognizes you as different. You have become a new creation, you have become a child of God who is supported by a heavenly father who cares.

When we go home this week, don’t lose sight of the fact that God loves and cares about you!

This relationship with Christ that you have was never meant to be an easy ride, It was never meant to be simply an incline line on a graph paper, but it doesn’t need to be. Most of the time it looks like a crooked line. Here is our hope today. The hope for every person in this room, This Holy standard at which we are called to live by is simply not possible in human terms, so Jesus stepped in our place and became a bridge between us and God to give us hope for eternity!

and maybe today you haven’t even started that relationship with Christ, maybe for one reason in your life or another in your own life you haven’t been able to even comprehend the limitless love of a loving God. I’ll say this a billion times over, that Christ died for you. By his wounds we have been healed. and regardless of where your at right now in your life at home, know that he wants to be your Lord and give you Joy and Peace.

What’s next for you?

Will we continue to live our lives day by day seeking temporary fulfillment and the pain of this world to stop, or will we put our faith and trust in the 1 who can provide us with complete Joy.... Jesus, Period.

#3 Jesus, Forever, Period

John 14:21 CSB

21 The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I also will love him and will reveal myself to him.”

String example of the length of your eternity

That’s the story of so many students your age right now, having the YOLO attitude

See in our culture today, we are taught to maximize this life, to be remembered, to fit in

To build up all of our materialistic wealth on earth, this little piece of string right here...

but guys hear me right now, you can’t take a u-haul with you to the grave. The earthly things you’ve built in this life mean nothing in the grand scheme of eternity!

what matters is the condition of your soul when you leave this earth.

I don’t want to scare you today, but guys the reality of this life is we don’t know the day nor the hour. Doug told the stories of many students of his in the past that you may have very well known who lost their lives to soon.

Maybe you have a friend or family member that you’re thinking of right now that passed away all too soon.

Know today that Christ is calling out for you and eagerly wants a relationship with you.

A relationship with him is the only thing that can bridge the gap between us and God.

He is the way, the truth, and the life and he loves you.

He loves you in your darkest hour, he loves you when you can’t even love yourself. He is reaching out today for you.

So I’ll ask again, what’s next for you?

Will you make a commitment to following Jesus for the rest of your life!

Will you prioritize telling your lost friends about the hope that is Jesus!

Maybe you have one of those friends around you right now, who you know would only be willing to talk to you about that decision. Will you share that same hope that changed your life.

I’m going to give you an opportunity to respond to that hope right now...

Give invitation and Pray