Youth

Youth Sermon: Youth - and Jesus

Introduction

Raise your hand if you've ever been labeled. 

Maybe someone called you lazy, or dumb, or too much, or not enough. [Pause] 

Jesus got labeled too. 

The place he grew up—Nazareth—literally meant 'good for nothing.' But God specializes in taking what the world calls worthless and making it priceless. 

I'm Pastor Ross, and tonight we're talking about how Jesus' journey as a youth can transform yours.

Youth - and Jesus

Jesus was a youth. He was a baby, he was a toddler, he was an elementary kid, he was a middle schooler, he was high schooler.

I mean not really because it was 2000 years ago, in a different country, a different culture, and they just had a completely different way of raising kids to adulthood. But my point is that Jesus went through growth as a human.

Even though life looked different for people in Jesus' time. Some things haven't changed.

Human growth and development hasn't changed.

We're all born babies, and we gotta grow up.

Tonight I just want to read a couple of statements that were written in the Bible about Jesus as a kid.

God Chooses the Unlikely

Luke 2:39-40 (New Living Translation)

When Jesus' parents… returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's favor was on him.

So Jesus, being from Nazareth, grew up in the hood. Nazareth had a reputation. The saying was at that time, "Nothing good comes from Nazareth!" 

But what does God like to do?

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 (New Living Translation)

God chooses things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

So I don't know if you come from a place, or a family, that has a label: "Good for Nothing". Or maybe people or even your just battling in your own mind with a label like: "Good for nothing"

I mean the label, could be anything, in fact, the word or the words might even be in your head right now. I don't know what labels the world has put on you but, right out of the gate, the label on Jesus was… "Good for nothing"

BUT, God takes what the world labels "worthless" and makes it priceless

What labels are you carrying with you?

In a city that had a reputation for producing nothing good, Jesus steps forth as a child and the Bible says, "THERE in Nazareth "Good for Nothing Town",

Jesus grew up healthy and strong.

God Designed you for Growth

(God given Physical Health) 

And Just like Jesus - God has designed us to be healthy and strong. For most people, they are never as healthy as they are when they are in their youth. Pastor Daniel and I visited three people right down the street this week who fell because of some type of weakness in their muscles. 

How did they got hurt?

Up and Down Stairs

Little elementary kids

But this is what happens when people get old.

But God has made you so healthy and strong that you can't even imagine that happening to you.

Let’s take some wisdom from the bible about our physical health as young people…

Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:7

Young people, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, "Life is not pleasant anymore." Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white

Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, For (when you die) the dust (of your body) will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Like Jesus, God has given you strength and health and you and most people are likely to never be as healthy as you are when you're a kid.

Since you’re going to be peaking soon physically - looks, strength, athleticism - HONOR GOD WITH IT!

(God given Wisdom)

You have God given Wisdom

Jesus grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's favor was on him.

So Jesus grew up healthy and strong, AND, he was filled with wisdom…

As a kid, I know that people discount you and tell you that you don't know much, you have a lot to learn - and you do, no doubt.

But God has given you and filled you with a certain level of wisdom. God has created us in His image and his likeness.

God's word says,

Genesis 1:27 (New Living Translation)

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Since we're made in the image of God and God is wise, he has given us all a certain amount of wisdom.

We all have a sense of justice.

Romans 2:14-15 says, “even people who've never heard God's laws obey it or reference it instinctively.”

You know when something feels wrong in your gut? When you're scrolling social media and you see someone getting torn apart in the comments and you think, 'This isn't right'? 

That's God-given wisdom. 

You know when a friend is making choices that are hurting them? That sense of 'I need to say something'—that's the image of God in you. Don't let adults dismiss that. 

God has given you wisdom, and He wants you to use it.

Right? Common sense tells us that trees and flowers and the mechanics of birds and animals and the laws of physics have a maker, a designer, and a law giver.

Let’s use our God Given Wisdom! 

(God given Favor)

Jesus had God's favor upon him.

God has made you 

healthy and strong, 

God has given you

a certain amount of wisdom

But you also have God's favor upon you 

you just have to receive it!

God's favor is all over your life.

Like Jesus, the favor of God rests upon you, you just have to take advantage of it.

Just look at how Jesus dealt with kids…

Matthew 19:13-14 (New Living Translation)

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children."

Jesus wants you to come to him. Jesus told the adults, don't stop kids from coming to me.

Jesus said that the Kingdom of God belongs to all who are like these children.

Following Jesus fully, isn't just a thing for adults to do, It's something for you to do too.

The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to you guys. If you want to follow Jesus, God's Kingdom is wide open to you.

Jesus grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's favor was on him.

I'm just going to be so bold as to say that God designed you to be healthy and strong, he designed you- to fill you- with wisdom, and God's favor is on you.

Conclusion

One of the last things the Bible says about Jesus' childhood, as he moved into adulthood before he started his public life of ministry is this…

Luke 2:52 (New Living Translation)

Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God, and all the people.

The word for grow there means that Jesus was making progress, he was becoming fully mature, he was becoming fully healthy in four areas.

Jesus grew in WISDOM: Mentally and Intellectually - Healthy

Jesus grew in STATURE: Physically - Healthy

Jesus grew FAVOR WITH GOD: Spiritually - Healthy

Jesus grew FAVOR WITH ALL THE PEOPLE: Relationally - Healthy

This verse gives me hope because we can see that when God came to Earth as a human he didn't cheat. Jesus didn't have a short cut to maturity.

He grew up, just like you- just like me.

But once he grew up he was fully mature, he was fully healthy, and he had favor with God and people.

I know you guys are navigating stuff we adults can barely comprehend. 

The mental health challenges—nearly half of high schoolers report feeling persistently sad or hopeless. 

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among your age group. 

Add in the pressure of social media, high academic demands, and just trying to figure out who you are... I get it. You're carrying a lot.

For 27 years I’ve been growing and developing myself with Jesus' help, I've noticed that when one of these gets out of wack (mental, physical, spiritual, relational), it can really negatively affect the other ones.

We're going to break into small groups soon and just ask these questions.

Questions:

Of the four areas (mental, physical, spiritual, relational), which one do you feel strongest in right now?

Which area do you feel needs the most growth or healing

What's one practical step you could take this week to grow in that area?

How can we pray for you tonight?

I’d like to invite you to surrender your life to Jesus tonight.

Here's the thing: you can't become fully whole on your own. Jesus didn't just grow up to show us how it's done—He died and rose again to make it possible. 

We're broken by sin. We’re trapped in our own chains at times. 

We need healing. 

And that healing starts with surrender. 

So before we break into small groups, I want to give you the opportunity to make the most important decision of your life.

Accept - that you've sinned and need God's forgiveness

Believe - that Jesus sacrificed himself as payment for your sins and that He was raised from the dead

Commit - your life to following Jesus.

Confess - your Jesus as your LORD.

Lay your life down as a living sacrifice. That's how we worship Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us, so we give ourselves back to Him, our Creator.

Raise your hand so we can identify you and help you on your journey with God.