SYATP 2023- Seek Him Wholeheartedly

God Chose US

Romans 10:13–15 CSB

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.

I don’t think it is too farfetched to assume most of your here today would be professing believers in Jesus.

That you have confessed faith in Christ as the Savior and Lord of your life.

How did you come to Christ?

Likely it was through a parent or grandparent or another family member. Or maybe it was through a church leader or friend.

Regardless, God uses a person in your life to lead you to Himself.

Their words, their life, and their intentionality lead you to Jesus.

God is all-powerful and could save us ANY way He chooses to, but what I just read in Romans 10 tells us the way God has CHOSEN to make His name known.

GOD CHOOSES US!!

Greatest Mission Field in the County

Right now we are standing outside the greatest, most fertile mission field in Ohio County.

Statistics say 77% of Christians come to faith in Christ before age 18.

95% come to faith before the age of 30.

So right now, some where around 2000 students are getting ready to walk in to one of these 2 schools and most of them have not “called on the name of the Lord Jesus” and so they are NOT SAVED.

And how are they to call on him if they have not believed in Him?

And how are they to believe in Him if they have not heard about Him?

And how are they to hear unless SOMEONE shares with them?

And WHO has been SENT!?!

YOU HAVE BEEN SENT!!

Jeremiah 29 - The Call

The focus verse for SYATP this year is Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”

It is a part of a letter God is writing to His people who have been brought into exile from Israel to Babylon, far away from home and into a pagan land very different from what they had known.

Early on in the letter God writes these instructions to them:

Jeremiah 29:4–7 CSB

This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”

His message in a nutshell

Live faithful lives in a place that is likely hostile to your faith and way of life.

Pursue faithful marriages

Raise your kids faithfully

And seek the good of the place you are

God knew that living in Babylon wasn’t going to be easy for them, that people would mock them and reject them.

But as they lived faithful lives, God would bless them and use them to bless the place He had brought them.

It isn’t easy to be a Faithful, Devoted Christian in High School.

But God has placed you here for a reason and that reason is for you to be a missionary.

He wants to use you to be the feet that (and the mouths) that bring the good news to the 1500 students that will come here today.

And His promise is

Jeremiah 29:13 CSB

You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

In just a second you will be praying for different things around this flag pole, but my challenge to you all is to let the Words of Romans 10 ring in your ears and in your hearts.

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…how will they call unless someone speaks?”