These are notes & scripture from a lesson I’m leading tonight with my church youth group. I put them here for later and whoever else might get something from them
I. Sing
II. Prayer Requests
III. Ice Breaker
IV. Review
a. Father / son relationship on earth
b. Father / child relationship with God
i. John 3:16
1. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
ii. Romans 8:15-17:
1. You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,”
iii. Galatians 4:4-6:
1. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
V. Let’s start off with some introductory questions.
a. When does eternal life begin?
b. Are you living an eternal life right now? Is that silly to think about?
c. Is Christianity just something about the future? About dying and going to heaven?
d. Or is there something for us, right here, right now?
VI. The offer is…
a. FREEDOM
b. LIFE
c. A NEW HEART
d. A NEW NAME
VII. Freedom
a. What does freedom mean to you?
b. Think about how life was designed to be. Were Adam and Eve “free?”
c. Were they designed to be free?
d. What did that mean?
e. Are you designed to be free?
i. Yes, you are.
ii. Are you?
iii. Why or why not?
f. We live in bondage.
i. To ourselves.
ii. To others.
1. Expectations
2. Disappointments
iii. To sin
1. Habits
2. Desires
3. Flesh / World / Satan
g. Galatians 5:1,13
i. It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. … For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
h. 1 Peter 2:16
i. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
VIII. LIFE
a. John 10:7-11
i. “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them 9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture 10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
b. Why did Christ come?
i. That they might have life.
c. How did he accomplish this?
i. By laying down his life for us.
d. Why was this necessary?
e. How bad does God want you back?
IX. A NEW HEART
a. Do you feel like you have a naturally clean heart? Are you pure?
i. No, we are not
ii. Jeremiah 17:9
1. “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Je 17:9). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
iii. Jeremiah 32:37-40
1. 37 “Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. 38 “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. 40 “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Je 32:37-40). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
b. CAN your heart be clean?
i. Psalm 51:10
1. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ps 51:10). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
ii. Matthew 5:8
1. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 5:8). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
c. HOW can we get a clean heart?
i. Ezek 11:19
1. “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
ii. Ezek 36:26-28
1. 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 “You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.
iii. Hebrews 8:8-10
1. 8 But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 9 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt.They did not remain faithful to my covenant,so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.10 But this is the new covenant I will makewith the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:I will put my laws in their minds,and I will write them on their hearts.I will be their God,and they will be my people. Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. “Text edition”–Spine. (2nd ed.) (Heb 8:8-10). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
iv. Hebrews 10:15-18
1. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Heb 10:15-18). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
v. Hebrews 10:22
1. let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Heb 10:22). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
X. A NEW NAME
a. Isaiah 62:2-4
i. 2 The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of the Lord will designate. 3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; But you will be called, “My delight is in her,” And your land, “Married”; For the Lord delights in you, And to Him your land will be married.
b. Gen 35:10
i. God said to him,
ii. “Your name is Jacob;
iii. You shall no longer be called Jacob,
iv. But Israel shall be your name.”
v. Thus He called him Israel.
vi. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ge 35:10). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
c. Rev 2:17
i. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
ii. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Re 2:17). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
d. Rev 3:12
i. ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
ii. New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Re 3:12). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
XI. Watch Video
a. Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King
i. Elrond (Elf)
ii. Arwen (Love)
iii. Aragorn (Ranger / King)
b. Chapter 22 (1:14:40 – )
c. Pause after “I take my leave”
d. Background on this guy…
e. Continue
f. Quote:
i. “It is time to put down the ranger and become who you were born to be”
ii. Who have you been told that you should be?
1. A good boy?
2. A young woman?
3. A nice Christian?
4. Someone who avoids this and does that.
iii. What were you born to be?
1. Me? I have a story. It’s a story that only makes sense to me. I’ll share it if you want, though.
2. All of us have been told who we should be and a lot of us have accepted lesser roles than God intended. Aragorn was the KING, but other things kept him from accepting.
iv. What is your role in the Kingdom? You may not know yet. That is fine. That is normal. But let me tell you, the lives you live RIGHT NOW are affecting that. I can speak from my life. I’m not who I thought I would be 10-15 years ago when I was your age, but the things on my heart back then, the things I really, deeply, cared about… they still affect me.
g. Now… what brought Aragorn to recognize who he was?
i. Recognition?
ii. The swoard?
1. They will answer to the king of Gondor.
h. 1:18:55 – put aside the ranger, become who you were born to be.
i. Stop at 1:19:21
j. John 10:10-11
i. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.