Untitled Sermon

God Is With You

Big Idea: God is with you and will never leave you

I am super excited to be here with you all tonight!

Summer is great with swimming and being off campus… but I love when we are all able to just come back together at the end of the Summer back here on campus.

Q. What was the best part of your Summer in 8-10 seconds?

My Summer was a lot of fun! I went on a few trips, spent a good amount of time with a few of you guys, tried not to melt like a McFlurry in the heat, and I sadly did not drink enough Baja Blast…

But this Summer also came with a lot of challenges!

With those challenges, I had to remind myself and be reminded often that God was with me through it all.

Just as August may be an exciting or sad month for you…

When I was a teenager, it was a bitter sweet month for me…

On one hand… Summer was ending

On the other hand…the end of Summer boredom was ending!

But when I think back to my teen years there is one August that really sticks out to me because of the changes that would be happening in my life and the anxiousness that caused me.

Has anyone else experienced that feeling? The feeling of new things coming and not knowing what to expect?

That is how I felt heading into my Sophomore year because I was going to be going to RCS after being homeschooled my whole life!

Part of my anxiety was if I would fail because… full transparency, I cheated all the way through my freshman year.

The other part of it was if I would make any friends or be liked

So the day came that I would be heading into that school year and what happened that year that changed the way I saw God and my own life… but more on that in a bit.

As with my story, I am sure some of you are wondering if you’ll even survive this year. If your grades are good enough. If anyone will talk to you. I felt all of that walking into RCS.

Q. What are some common worries someone may have going into the next school year?

There are a lot of valid reasons to be nervous or anxious and first off I just want you to know that… it is okay to feel that.

But I want to share some hope and encouragement with you from God’s Word that will help you from being consumed by that anxiousness or fear.

What if I told you that no matter what you face this year— awkward moments, anxiety, difficulty classes, drama— you won’t face any of it alone?

That is what I want to talk with you about tonight! (Big Idea) That God is with you and will never leave you.

If you can turn or tap your way over to Deuteronomy 31:6-8 we can see an important promise we can hold close to our hearts and minds.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8: 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

In this passage of scripture, the children of Israel are getting ready to FINALLY enter the promised land! They were standing on the edge of a new beginning!

This entering of the land probably had many of them nervous about what would happen.

If you look back in their history… they already were at this point once and let fear get the better of them!

In Numbers 13-14, Moses sent spies into the land

They reported how amazing the land was and how dangerous it was because of its inhabitants - Strong cities and descendants of Giants

Q. How would you feel if you heard about how dangerous the land was? Why?

When they heard the reports…

Their fear of death, anxiety, and a lack of faith in God’s promises to give them the land paralyzed them and they let fear consume them.

In the end, God did not allow them to enter the land and had them wander for 40 long years in the wilderness!

Fast forward 40 years and to our passage, they’re back to where they started and getting a do over!

It's kind of like a new school year and being faced with new and similar issues and fears as the year before.

Moses wasn’t giving them a pep talk. He was reminding them of a truth that could hold them together when everything else felt shaky.

Lets read verse 8 again: 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Moses reminded them that God has gone before them, would be with them, will not leave them, or forsake them!

Because of this truth, they did not have to fear what they would encounter in the land because God would be with them through it all. The wins and the losses.

So what does this mean for you, sitting in a classroom this fall, overwhelmed by school, friends, and life?

GPS illustration:

Show how a GPS will recalculate because it sees hazards before you get there

The GPS helps you reach your destination despite challenges on the road.

In the same way, God doesn’t just follow you into this year. He’s already been ahead of you like Moses said he was with the Israelites. He knows what challenges are coming.

And just like a GPS recalculates when you make a mistake, God’s presence stays with you even when you mess up and he helps you get to where He wants you to be

The main thing you can be sure of is that… God is with you and He will not leave you.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us again in Hebrews 13:5b-6 when he wrote: for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

What that means is when you are struggling with something or faced with a hard challenge…

God knows what you are going through, he will help you, and will remain with you through it all. He walks side by side with you.

God is greater than whomever or whatever you encounter…(Rom. 8:31) if God is for you, who can be against you?

How great it is to know that we have a personal God who loves us so much that He will remain with us through LIFE!

While you may not be the Israelites entering into a new land with mighty kings and ferocious armies…

You will still be met with your own moments like they were met with in life.

In situations like that, aspire to have courage and strength despite the fear or anxiety they bring.

But you can also find hope and peace in God and the truth He will NOT LEAVE YOU!

So what I want you to take away from this tonight is that:

God is greater than your anxiety… But he still cares for you and is with you in it

God is greater than your school challanges… But he still cares for you and is with you in it

God is greater than your bullies… But he still cares for you and is with you in it

God is greater than your fear… But he still cares for you and is with you in it

God is greater than your self-doubts… But he still cares for you and is with you in it.

God is greater than your sin…. But he will forgive you and has grace for you when you mess up.

That is something I learned my Sophomore year of high school because I was worried about:

Failing my classes because I thought I was stupid

People not liking me because I was awkward

Letting myself and my parents down

But in that entire year… God was with me. He sustained me through it all.

He gave me good friends who loved Him

He gave me good teachers to help me in my studies

He helped me build my confidence in myself and Him!

I never thought that is how my year at RCS was going to go! That is because my fear told me there was no other option than failure.

When I finished my sophomore year despite the struggles I did have… I knew and was confident that God was with me and will continue to be with me.

I have been reminded of that time and time again over the last 11 years.

In those 11 years, God has changed how I see Him. Not as a powerful dude in the sky but a personal and loving God who is with me always.

Conclusion

Whatever you are facing this school year… whether it's academic pressure, drama, social anxiety, mental or physical health, or just trying to figure out who you are in this stage of life, you are not facing it alone.

So here is what I want you to do: identify your biggest fear or worry you have going into this next school year. Write it down if you need to.

Then pray and prayer like this:

God, I feel fearful and anxious about ______, but I believe that you are with me and will help me. Help me walk through this challenge knowing that you are with me.

Guys, you don’t need to have it all figured out. Lord knows I don’t. But just remember… God has already gone where you are going and He is not leaving you to walk it alone.