Pastor Bart Bornhorst gives examples from Scripture of God working with the youth and young adults on this special local youth day Sabbath.
Sermon Notes
Notes:
Mark 10:13-16 → Jesus was angry at the disciples for rebuking the children and said that no one can enter the Kingdom unless they are like little children.
Jesus Christ and the Father hold the value of children very high.
Do we understand how fully God values us. God worked through youth to accomplish HIs will. As youth, can we imagine God working through us.
Some examples of God working through the youth.
Miriam
Deut. 31:6 → God will not leave us or forsake us. We need to take this verse to heart and carry it with us.
Miriam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron. God worked through Miriam to accomplish His plan. The Egyptians wanted to bring down the Israelites, but the plan backfired. The Israelites become even stronger than before.
Exo. 1:13-22 → God blessed the midwives for taking care of the baby boys of Israel. The Pharaoh ordered the baby boys to be killed.
Exo. 2:1 → Moses’ mother hid him amongst the reed. Miriam looks to see what will happen to Moses, her brother. Pharoah’s daughter worked with Miriam and Miriam got a deal for Moses’ mother to nurse him.
Miriam was 10 and God worked through her. It doesn’t matter what your age is, if you set your heart to God, He will work with you. Was this plan devised from the heart of Miriam, God was working and inspiring her. This wasn’t the only time that God worked through Miriam.
Exo. 15:20 → Miriam is considered a prophetess. A prophetess is an inspired woman. She is not inspired of her own self, but of God.
Miriam could have been fearful when Moses was placed in the water and pull from it. She could have been full of fear and doubt when Pharaoh's men chased the Israelites through the sea.
Josiah
Deut. 10:12-13 → God did not give us His Law to put the burden on us, but to make our life better. All of God’s instruction is to benefit us.
How old do you have to be to have a serious, converted relationship with God? God is always there for us and our age doesn’t matter.
Josiah’s father was Amon.
2 Kings 21:19 → Amon was 22 years old when he became King, he had done evil like his father Manasseh had done and his own servants killed him.
2 Chron. 34:1 → Josiah is removing all of the pagan images in Jerusalem.
Josiah wanted every part of pagan imagery to be removed. Josiah was 16 at the time and took a power focus on what was right.
He then took his time to rebuild the temple.
2 Chron 34:14-32→ Shaphan was so repentant of the evil actions of God’s people that he tore his clothes. It points to Josiah’s repentance and the cleansing. God recognized the heart of a teenager and worked through Josiah.
Josiah reinstituted the Holy Days and the Passover
2 Chron 35:16-19 → He is now 26 years old and has re-established God’s law and Holy Days.
Deut. 10:12 → What did the Lord require of us at our age. To serve the Lord with all of our heart and soul for our good.
Timothy
Timothy was a young man that Paul loved very dearly. Paul sent Timothy to preach the gospel because he loved and cared for the brethren.
Phil. 2:20
King David was a shepherd that God used at a young age. He learned to trust in the Lord in a deep way. David pursued a vigorous relationship with Christ.
Act. 13:22 → Man after God’s own heart.
Mary (mother of Jesus Christ).
God chose Mary to bring Jesus into the world. Her heart must have been pure.
Jeremiah was another young man that God worked through.
Jer. 29:11 → God does have a plan and work for each of us.
Our youth receive a heavy duty of evolution and atheism through our public schools including the teachers and their peers. Be careful not to minimize their influence on you. Atheism and evolution does not offer any hope in this life. It gives an answer for something besides going to work 8 hours a day, or an answer for the horror we see in this world.
Zeph. 3:17 → God will rejoice with you in gladness and quiet you with His love. It gives us peace and quietness.
God wants and desired to rejoice with us over singing.
God wants to work with us on a deep and effective way.