More than a youth (Jeremiah)

Hey everyone! Let me ask you something—have you ever had a moment where you just really didn’t want to do something for yourself, and you were thankful someone else could do it for you?

When I was growing up, I loved having parents who handled certain things for me. Like making doctor or dentist appointments—my mom always did that. Honestly, I still don’t love doing that stuff. Or think about when you're little and go to a restaurant—your parents order your food for you. It’s kind of nice not having to make all the decisions, right?

But then there comes this moment—you hit a certain age—and your parents start saying things like, “You’re old enough to handle that yourself.” And suddenly, you’re the one who has to make the call or talk to the waiter or take care of something that feels a little uncomfortable.

I don’t know if it’s just my generation, but I think a lot of us would rather text someone than call them. Calling people feels like a big deal sometimes! There were definitely moments when I thought, “Man, I miss being a little kid so someone else could just take care of this for me.”

If you’ve ever felt that way—like you didn’t feel ready, or you weren’t sure if you could handle something—tonight’s message is for you.

We’re going to look at a moment in the Bible where someone felt exactly like that. If you have a Bible with you, open up to Jeremiah chapter 1. If you don’t have one, feel free to grab one from the shelf—we’d love for everyone to be able to follow along.

So if you didn’t already guess from the name of the book, tonight we’re talking about a guy named Jeremiah.

Let’s start by reading a little bit about who he was. This is from the very beginning of the book—Jeremiah 1:1–3:

“These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.”

Okay, so what does all that mean?

First, we learn that Jeremiah came from a priestly family—his dad was a priest, which meant they worked in the temple, offered sacrifices, and were expected to know God’s law really well. You could think of it kind of like being a pastor’s kid today. Jeremiah grew up around faith, around God's Word, and around people who were supposed to take following God seriously.

We also learn that God started speaking to Jeremiah during the time of King Josiah—a king we talked about last week, who was actually one of the good ones. But after Josiah died, two not-so-great kings came after him: Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. And Jeremiah kept receiving messages from God during their reigns too.

Here’s the hard part: these new kings weren’t following God. They were leading the people in the wrong direction. And Jeremiah? He was the one God chose to speak out—to tell the truth, even when it wasn’t popular.

That was a tough job. And Jeremiah didn’t exactly feel ready for it.

Good thing God is the ultimate hype man though. God gives Jeremiah a boost by telling him this:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.     Before you were born I set you apart     and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

The first thing God wants Jeremiah to know is that he knows him. He says hey Jeremiah, before I even created you, I knew you. That’s what I know what I’ve called you to do. I’ve called you to be my messenger to my people. Not just to my people, but to the nations. Now that’s a pretty big job. If God spoke to you tonight audibly and told you that you to go to school tomorrow and preach his message in the halls, how do you think you would respond? *allow response*

Jeremiah didn’t exactly respond with confidence. Here’s what he says in verse 6:

“Alas, Lord GOD! I don’t know how to speak—because I am only a youth.” (Jeremiah 1:6, NASB)

In other words: “God, I can’t do this. I’m too young. I don’t know what I’m doing!”

Have you ever felt like that?

Have you ever used your age—or your inexperience—as a reason to not do something? We’ve talked before about how the world sometimes underestimates you because you’re young. But be honest—do you ever do that to yourself?

Like I mentioned earlier, maybe it’s something small:

Making a phone call

Talking to a teacher about a grade

Ordering for yourself at a restaurant

Asking an employee at Target where the thing you need is

But sometimes it goes deeper—especially when it comes to faith:

Maybe you don’t feel ready to pray out loud in your small group.

Or maybe the idea of sharing about Jesus with a friend feels way too scary.

Or you’ve thought, “There’s no way I could ever lead, or speak up, or serve like that.”

And like Jeremiah, maybe deep down, your response to God has been: “I’m just a student. I’m just a middle schooler. I’m only in high school. I’m not ready.”

But here’s the good news: God doesn’t leave Jeremiah in that place—and He doesn’t leave you there either.

But God isn’t having it. He doesn’t let Jeremiah stay stuck in fear or excuses.

Here’s how God responds in verses 7–8:

“Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1:7–8)

In other words: “Jeremiah, your age is not a problem for Me. I’ve called you, and you’re going. Period.”

God shuts down the excuse real quick. He doesn’t say, “Okay yeah, good point. Maybe when you’re older.” No—He says: ➡️ “You must go.” ➡️ “You must speak.” ➡️ “And I will be with you.”

That’s powerful.

And it’s not just about Jeremiah—it’s true for you too. God has called you to be a light in this world. To share Jesus. To live with courage. And He hasn’t left you clueless about how to do it.

Look at what happens in verse 9:

“Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, ‘Look, I have put my words in your mouth!’”

God literally puts His words into Jeremiah’s mouth. He gives him what to say.

That’s the kind of God we serve—not one who just sends us, but one who equips us.

And here’s the amazing part—what God told Jeremiah? Jesus told his followers the same thing.

In John 15:26–27, Jesus said:

“I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. And you will tell people about me too, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Jesus is saying: “You’re not doing this alone. I’m sending the Holy Spirit to help you.”

After Jesus died and rose again, He returned to heaven to rule and reign—but He didn’t leave us hanging. He sent the Holy Spirit to live in everyone who follows Him.

And what does the Holy Spirit do? ➡️ He reminds us of what’s true. ➡️ He gives us courage. ➡️ He speaks about Jesus—and helps us speak about Jesus too.

So if you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you. That means you’re not too young. You’re not too inexperienced. You’re not alone. You can speak. You can lead. You can make a difference. Not because you’ve got it all together—but because God is with you, just like He was with Jeremiah.

I want you to remember this: There’s no “Junior Version” of the Holy Spirit.

You don’t get a smaller, weaker, or quieter version of God just because you’re young. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you have the same Holy Spirit living in you that was in Jeremiah… that was in Peter and Paul… that raised Jesus from the dead.

That’s what God wanted Jeremiah to understand. Jeremiah was scared—and for good reason. He was living in a time when people literally killed prophets who said things they didn’t want to hear. So yeah, he was nervous. But God said:

“I will be with you. I will protect you.”

And that same promise is true for you. God walks with you. He strengthens you. He speaks through you. You are not too young to be used by God.

Jeremiah ended up being used by God in some incredible ways.

He spoke out against sin and injustice. He stayed faithful, even when things got hard. He went with the people into exile and kept speaking God’s truth. He even wrote the book of Lamentations during one of the darkest times in Israel’s history.

Now, maybe you're thinking, "There’s no way I can live up to that." But here’s the truth: You’re not supposed to live Jeremiah’s story. You’re supposed to live yours.

God has called you to make a difference right now—in your school, your team, your friend group, your family. So what does that actually look like? Here are a few simple, practical steps you can take this week:

✅ 1. Start Small

Do one thing this week that takes a little courage:

Pray out loud in small group

Bring up something from church in a normal conversation

Ask a leader a faith question you've been sitting on

Every big move of God starts with a small step of obedience.

✨ 2. Speak Truth

God gave Jeremiah the words to say—and He’ll do the same for you.

Write down a verse this week and share it with someone to encourage them (Try Jeremiah 1:6–7 or 1 Timothy 4:12)

Post it. Text it. Say it. Don’t keep truth to yourself.

🚀 3. Go Big (If You’re Ready)

Feeling bold? Try one of these:

Invite a friend to youth group

Share something God is teaching you on social media

Serve as a CIT at kids camp or join the student leadership team when it launches in the fall!

Share your testimony—what Jesus has done in your life

God’s not waiting until you’re older to use you. He’s inviting you to follow Him right now. And just like Jeremiah, He promises:

“Do not be afraid… for I am with you.”