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Our Promises vs. God's Promises

God's Promises Youth Sermons God's Faithfulness

Contributed By: Chris Huff | Date Posted: 2021-12-13

Scripture: Galatians 3:16 ; Genesis 3:15

Author: Chris Huff
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ILLUSTRATION

Several years ago, I was a youth minister at a church in Kentucky. I was only on staff at that church about a year and a half, but I learned a ton about ministry and people during that short time. One of the things that I learned was to over communicate everything and make sure you understand what people mean by their promises.

Our youth group was growing. I think one of the best things we did with the youth was encourage them to memorize Scripture. One of the ways we encouraged them was through group incentives. When they memorized so many verses as a group, they could pick which incentive they earned. So they earned things like lock-ins, pizza parties, and one time, they earned a trip to an amusement park.

In fact, a parent of one of the youth offered to pay for the trip to the amusement park for all the youth. And my wife and I were like, “That’s awesome! That’s so generous of you! Thank you so much!” So we got all the youth excited about memorizing Scripture, and they were bringing their friends to church, and we had a huge group of kids that were ready to go to the amusement park!

But then when it came time to go, and we told the parent how many tickets to buy, she was shocked. I guess she didn’t realize how many youth and their friends had been coming to youth group on Wednesday nights, and she clarified that she meant that she only wanted to pay for the youth who have been coming regularly on Sunday mornings. I mean, that was still generous of her, but at that point we had to figure out how we were going to pay for the other half of the youth to go, because we had promised them all a free trip to the amusement park!

APPLICATION

I learned from that incident to over-communicate. When we thought we could count on a huge, generous promise, when it was clarified, it wasn’t nearly as good as we had thought.

Now, that tends to happen with people. We make big promises, but sometimes we have to apologize and clarify what we meant by our promises.

But here’s the thing, God never needs to apologize. And when He clarifies His promises, they always get better rather than worse. So we can put all our hope in His promises, knowing that His promise will not disappoint.

In Genesis 3:15, God first promised that the "offspring of the woman" would bruise the head of the serpent. In Genesis 12:1-7, we learn that the offspring of Abraham would bless the whole world. And in Galatians 3:16, we learn that this "offspring" is Jesus. As per God's modus operandi, the promise just got better and better! 

Elisha's Jars of Oil

Object Lessons God's Provision Youth Sermons

Contributed By: David Gargano | Date Posted: 2014-09-02

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:1

Author: David Gargano
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ILLUSTRATION

2 Kings 4:1-7

1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 

2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.

4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.

6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

APPLICATION

Preaching on this Scripture, I made a jar of water that I poured till water stopped running. I sat down and 2 minutes later I grabbed the empty jar and poured again, up to 8 times!

Find a jar that is not see thru, drill a hole near the top for air, like a gas can, then insert a water bottle with a hole drilled in the bottom side. I used hot glue to glue bottle inside jar.  Then as you fill water bottle the water will flow out of bottom side hole into the jar and as you pour the water in the bottle will drain out. Then, when you set it down for at least 30 seconds, it will refill from the water in the jar so you can pour again while you preach.

American Idols

Idolatry Object Lessons Youth Sermons

Source: tpcczerogravityyouth.blogspot.com

Link to Source: Click here to view source

Contributed By: Tara Bertic | Date Posted: 2014-05-08

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1

Author: Tara Bertic
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ILLUSTRATION

We continued our talk about idols tonight and how to practice idolatry is to actually hate God. We talked about jealousy and its meaning and how God is jealous when we have idols in our lives because He loves us so much and knows that we become like what we worship. If we worship God, we become like God. If we worship anything else, idols, we become like them.....nothing!

Then we went outside and decided to see if we could list as many idols between all of us as possible. We brainstormed about idols in Entertainment (sports, movies, music, TV, video games, hobbies, entertainment celebrities and personalities). Then we listed idols in technology (cell phones, iPods, the computer, Facebook, games and apps). Next came physical health and fitness (diet and food worship, exercising or lifting weights too much to have a certain body, make-up, name-brand and expensive clothes, jewelry, spending a lot of time on our hair and looks).

For each idol we listed, we put a rock in a book bag. Our bag was pretty full by the time we were finished! Then we discussed Hebrews 12:1 and remembered from our Philippians study how Paul told us life was like a race and we were the runners Philippians 3:13-14, 2 Timothy 4:7). I asked each youth to then run around the educational building. Then each of them took a turn strapping the book bag full of "idols" to their backs and running around the educational building again. We talked about the difference in how it felt to run free from that weight of "sin" and how much easier it would be to win a race were we not weighted down by it.

For one final point, we attempted to fit all of our idol examples from last week's table into a small basket with the word Jesus on it. We had trouble enough getting all of the "stuff" to fit, let alone finding room for Jesus as well.

APPLICATION

Again, we reiterated that these "things" are not bad per se in and of themselves, but they become idols in our lives when we allow them to take the place of Jesus....when it becomes more important to spend our time and money and efforts on them than spending on Jesus and what we can do in and for His kingdom.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and things" (Matthew 6:24).

A Beautiful Mind

Youth Sermons Words (Power of) Object Lessons

Contributed By: Tara Bertic | Date Posted: 2014-05-08

Scripture: Philippians 4:8

Author: Tara Bertic
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Broken Cisterns

Idolatry Youth Sermons Object Lessons

Contributed By: Tara Bertic | Date Posted: 2014-05-01

Scripture: Jeremiah 2:9

Author: Tara Bertic
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11 Rules You Won't Learn In School

Youth Sermons Wisdom Humility

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2014-03-03

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6

Author: Illustration Exchange
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Don't Throw The Best Part Away

Attitude Youth Sermons Spiritual Growth

Contributed By: Mike Sands | Date Posted: 2012-03-10

Scripture: Col 3:2

Author: Mike Sands
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In An Immiscible Mess

Reconciliation Youth Sermons Object Lessons

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2012-03-08

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:5 ; 1 John 2:1

Author: Illustration Exchange
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Of Sinful Selves and Crushed Pretzels

Beatitudes Sanctification Object Lessons

Contributed By: Vincent Putnam | Date Posted: 2023-11-20

Scripture: Matthew 5:13 ; Galatians 2:20

Author: Vincent Putnam
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Even Small Acts Of Honesty Can Be Huge

Honesty Obedience Children's Lesson

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2023-11-19

Scripture: Luke 16:10 ; Matthew 25:23

Author: Illustration Exchange
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