Well, I thought to myself, if I only got one chance to speak to the teens, what would be the most important topic to speak about? Assuming I am a teen and each of us have completely surrendered our hearts to the Lord by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and have crucified our flesh to its passions and desires, “How do we practically stay that way?”
So, my topic is, “Remaining steadfast in our Relationship with God and obedience to God through our faith in Jesus Christ”.
Before I begin speaking about how we can and must practically walk according to the Spirit which would make our relationship and obedience to the Lord steadfast I will ask a few questions.
What do these statements mean to you?
Rules without relationship equals rebellion.
Privilege without responsibility equals problem.
Soldiers without armor and weaponry equals defeat.
Wrestlers without defense skills or offensive moves equals defeat.
(Give anecdote about one million dollars across the street/100 snipers constantly shooting. Partial truth vs. Whole truth that will set and keep you free) Putting on and keeping on Christ is not optional. It is essential for Spiritual Life!!!
In John 8:31, 32, 34, 36 Jesus said, “31 If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 34 Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 36 If therefore, the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed”.
In John 14:21 Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him”.
In John 15:10 Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”.
In John 15:13,14 Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what command you”.
1 John 1:5-7 says, “5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin”.
1 John 3:9 says, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God”.
(What does the word “cannot” mean to you in this verse?)
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths”.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also that you may be able to endure it”.
1 Cor. 8:1 says, “Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies”.
Matthew 1:21 says, “Jesus will save His people from their sin”.
Romans 2:14, 15 says, “14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively (by nature in King James version) the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience (law of the mind of what is right and wrong given to us by God) bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.
Romans 1:18-20 says, “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:24-28 says, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper”.
James 4:17 says, “Therefore to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin”.
James 1:14,15 says, “14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death”.
Genesis 1:26,27 says, 26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth”. 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”.
Genesis 6:11,12 says, “11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth”.
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short (not born short, but come or fall short) of the glory of God”. Being born is not a sin or act of sin.
Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward”
Ezekiel 18:20 says, “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself”.
Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin”.
2 Chronicles 25:4 says, “However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, which the Lord commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
We must first recognize and know our weakness and our great and eternal dependence on the Holy Spirit for this steadfast and victorious relationship with God. Paul said it well in 1 Cor. 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace toward me did not prove vain. But I labored even more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
We must recognize and know God’s great strength and His abundance of grace and mercy in His Son Jesus Christ. We must realize that putting on Christ and keeping Him on is not optional, but essential in our steadfast relationship with God. Jesus said in John 14:1, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” And, of course, no one stays with the Father, but through Christ as well.
Jesus said in 2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, behold new things have come.”
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth”. It is clear from these passages that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh.