* this has been the longest 8.53 minutes of my life! as in! delivering the sermon in the bicol service was just a step towards "spiritual maturity" (nice earl!) i SUPER like to thank God for giving me the "divine intervention" i was waiting for on the last minute! (friday night lang!) and of course to my mom for being very supportive and being with me through those sleepless nights. (umiiyak na ko pero sya hawak pa yung mga devotional books at nag-eexplain sakin.) and of course thank you my EMC ates, kuyas and gurlfriends, yung mga simpleng "kaya mo yan!" nyo made me believe na kaya ko nga! :)
*while singing the hymn of preparation
poch: huuuu.. lizette malapit na ko.. chorus na!!
lizette: kaya mo yan ate poch! GO!
poch: ayoko na magsalita.. NATATAE NA KO!!!
lizette: mamaya ka nalang tumae ate pagtapos mo magsermon!
NICE ONE! :)
-----------------------
GOOD MORNING to all the beautiful people in this service!
I hope that you are happy to be in church today as we come together to worship the Lord. Up to this time, I am still wondering why I am the one chosen to be the speaker for this service. But still I am very thankful that I was given this opportunity to stand before you as today’s speaker for the first time.
I know that the Lord has His purpose in giving me this wonderful chance to serve Him and I know that He will empower me with the Holy Spirit as I speak to you today.
LET US PRAY.
Our Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us this beautiful day
That we could come together to worship you
And to give you thanks and heartful praise
For all your bountiful blessings to each one of us
Open our hearts and minds as we listen to your Word.
Amen.
Today, we are celebrating “YOUTH SUNDAY” and we will reflect on today’s theme that is “EMPOWERING THE YOUTH”.
What does the word EMPOWERING mean?
--------------------
PROVERBS 22:6 SAYS:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
I was about 6 years old then when my mom first brought me to attend Sunday School back at our home church. This Bible verse was posted at the bulletin board of the classroom and every Sunday, I never fail to read this verse over and over and came to memorize it by heart without fully understanding what it really means.
As days, soon years passed by, I’ve come to realize that my life journey had been well motivated by the teachings I’ve learned not only from our home but also from attending Sunday School and Sunday Services. Studying in a Christian School is also a plus factor as we are also taught Christian Values Education; we studied about the stories of different Bible Characters and about the teachings of Jesus.
With these meaningful lessons that I’ve learned, the verse on PROVERBS 22:6 has come to a full understanding. And this is where my faith journey begins.
Each phase of our life has unique advantages and problems. And God stays with us through each of those phases. As we get older, things change. We must drop some things, and we must start with others.
In PSALMS 71:18 we read:
“Now that I am old and my hair is gray, do not abandon me O God. Be with me while I proclaim your power and might to all generations to come.”
We could notice that David’s focus is not simply on his needs. He wants to have his needs met so that he can share the Word of God with others. THIS IS EMPOWERMENT TO A HIGH DEGREE. J
In our New Testament text today which can be found on PHILIPPIANS 3:17 says:
“Keep on imitating me, my friends; pay attention to those who follow the right example we have set for you.”
This was Paul’s attempt to encourage the Philippians to do good. Even though he was in jail, this did not become a hindrance for him to deliver God’s message.
But the best example of an EMPOWERED YOUTH is Jesus. In the Bible we’ve read the story about Jesus who was already teaching at the synagogue at the age of 12. Youth of today remember this: AGE is not a HINDRANCE in serving the Lord. We should take Jesus’ example as an inspiration for us to spread the word of God.
Easier said than done right? We may even doubt ourselves on how will we do it. But we should also remember that God will be there to guide us.
I remember when I first volunteered to teach vacation Church School at the age of 14. I didn’t have any idea on how to do it. I just got my lesson guide, some art materials, and then I pray to God to ask for guidance.. and then THAT’S IT!
But I’ve come to realize that it is not on HOW you teach that matters; it is on the manner you’ve reached out to the ones you’ve taught. If they walk away from you’re lesson that day without remembering a single thing about it, then you are not a good teacher, and what you’ve taught them didn’t have an effect on them.
We should put in mind that teaching or spreading the Word of God must come from our hearts and not just with our mouth. And the most important thing is that we should ask God to use us as instruments in delivering His good news especially to the young ones, or in this case, the youth.
If you feel that you are WEAK because you are still young, the Bible says that our weakness can be overcome through prayer. If we are resorting to the Lord continually in prayer, and laying hold in His promises, if we are saying that the best is yet to come and we praise God more and more, THEN WE CAN GROW OLD AND GRAY HEADED WITHOUT FEAR!
By surrendering our weaknesses to the Lord we’ll be able to glorify Him and we’ll be able to share His word with others in the next generation. Even our situation in life should not be a hindrance in rendering our service for our Heavenly Father. The apostle Paul took advantage of his situation while in jail to proclaim the Good news of Salvation.
Let me share with you 4 situations wherein God displays His empowerment on us:
1) GOD EMPOWERS US IN OUR WEAKNESS
- Each one of us was given different gifts and talents that we could use in our service to others. We may think that our weaknesses may pull us down, but these are the things that God use in order for us to come back to Him for comfort. As what Pastor Gane has said to us when we are having our sermon-writing workshop; he stated that “LET THE AFFLICTED BE COMFORTED, AND LET THE COMFORTED BE AFFLICTED.” If we all pray continually to God, we can be assured that God will help us even at the lowest points of our lives.
2) GOD EMPOWERS US WHEN WE ARE CONFUSED
- God said “Don’t worry, just have faith in me and I’ll never allow you to be confused.” There are times when we cannot firmly decide on certain things; but again, we should pray to God and trust in Him that He will lead us to the right decision. It may not be the one we wanted, but God knows what we need and that we should just put our trust on Him that He will provide it for us.
3) GOD EMPOWERS US SO WE WON’T LIVE IN THE PAST
- Too often we say “Back in the Good Old Days…” but perhaps the good old days were not that good. David acknowledges in PSALMS 71:5 “For You are my hope, O Lord God”. He was living in the future. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT GOD HOLDS OUR FUTURE.
4) GOD EMPOWERS US EVEN AT TIMES WHEN WE ARE COMPLAINING
- We tend to complain when we face problems, trials and challenges in our lives, but remember that God is always with us. Because His timing is perfect, we must wait, trust, and NOT COMPLAIN. It’s easy to complain, but we need to wait in silence before the Lord. And praise Him, because one day you will look back and UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAD TO WAIT.
As I close, I’d like to leave you this CHALLENGE:
· FIRST, as Youth of today, let us continue to set a good example of HOW TO LIVE A CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE.
· SECOND, let us continue preserving our CHRISTIAN HERITAGE we have inherited from our parents and elders for the future generations.
· LASTLY, let us continue to live a life that would magnify our testimony for God.
Dearly beloved EMC youth of today, let us all join hands in sharing with others the gift of salvation our Lord Jesus offered when he died on the cross, AND TOGETHER LET US ALL EMPOWER THE YOUTH OF TOMORROW!
AMEN.
*while singing the hymn of preparation
poch: huuuu.. lizette malapit na ko.. chorus na!!
lizette: kaya mo yan ate poch! GO!
poch: ayoko na magsalita.. NATATAE NA KO!!!
lizette: mamaya ka nalang tumae ate pagtapos mo magsermon!
NICE ONE! :)
-----------------------
GOOD MORNING to all the beautiful people in this service!
I hope that you are happy to be in church today as we come together to worship the Lord. Up to this time, I am still wondering why I am the one chosen to be the speaker for this service. But still I am very thankful that I was given this opportunity to stand before you as today’s speaker for the first time.
I know that the Lord has His purpose in giving me this wonderful chance to serve Him and I know that He will empower me with the Holy Spirit as I speak to you today.
LET US PRAY.
Our Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us this beautiful day
That we could come together to worship you
And to give you thanks and heartful praise
For all your bountiful blessings to each one of us
Open our hearts and minds as we listen to your Word.
Amen.
Today, we are celebrating “YOUTH SUNDAY” and we will reflect on today’s theme that is “EMPOWERING THE YOUTH”.
What does the word EMPOWERING mean?
--------------------
PROVERBS 22:6 SAYS:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
I was about 6 years old then when my mom first brought me to attend Sunday School back at our home church. This Bible verse was posted at the bulletin board of the classroom and every Sunday, I never fail to read this verse over and over and came to memorize it by heart without fully understanding what it really means.
As days, soon years passed by, I’ve come to realize that my life journey had been well motivated by the teachings I’ve learned not only from our home but also from attending Sunday School and Sunday Services. Studying in a Christian School is also a plus factor as we are also taught Christian Values Education; we studied about the stories of different Bible Characters and about the teachings of Jesus.
With these meaningful lessons that I’ve learned, the verse on PROVERBS 22:6 has come to a full understanding. And this is where my faith journey begins.
Each phase of our life has unique advantages and problems. And God stays with us through each of those phases. As we get older, things change. We must drop some things, and we must start with others.
In PSALMS 71:18 we read:
“Now that I am old and my hair is gray, do not abandon me O God. Be with me while I proclaim your power and might to all generations to come.”
We could notice that David’s focus is not simply on his needs. He wants to have his needs met so that he can share the Word of God with others. THIS IS EMPOWERMENT TO A HIGH DEGREE. J
In our New Testament text today which can be found on PHILIPPIANS 3:17 says:
“Keep on imitating me, my friends; pay attention to those who follow the right example we have set for you.”
This was Paul’s attempt to encourage the Philippians to do good. Even though he was in jail, this did not become a hindrance for him to deliver God’s message.
But the best example of an EMPOWERED YOUTH is Jesus. In the Bible we’ve read the story about Jesus who was already teaching at the synagogue at the age of 12. Youth of today remember this: AGE is not a HINDRANCE in serving the Lord. We should take Jesus’ example as an inspiration for us to spread the word of God.
Easier said than done right? We may even doubt ourselves on how will we do it. But we should also remember that God will be there to guide us.
I remember when I first volunteered to teach vacation Church School at the age of 14. I didn’t have any idea on how to do it. I just got my lesson guide, some art materials, and then I pray to God to ask for guidance.. and then THAT’S IT!
But I’ve come to realize that it is not on HOW you teach that matters; it is on the manner you’ve reached out to the ones you’ve taught. If they walk away from you’re lesson that day without remembering a single thing about it, then you are not a good teacher, and what you’ve taught them didn’t have an effect on them.
We should put in mind that teaching or spreading the Word of God must come from our hearts and not just with our mouth. And the most important thing is that we should ask God to use us as instruments in delivering His good news especially to the young ones, or in this case, the youth.
If you feel that you are WEAK because you are still young, the Bible says that our weakness can be overcome through prayer. If we are resorting to the Lord continually in prayer, and laying hold in His promises, if we are saying that the best is yet to come and we praise God more and more, THEN WE CAN GROW OLD AND GRAY HEADED WITHOUT FEAR!
By surrendering our weaknesses to the Lord we’ll be able to glorify Him and we’ll be able to share His word with others in the next generation. Even our situation in life should not be a hindrance in rendering our service for our Heavenly Father. The apostle Paul took advantage of his situation while in jail to proclaim the Good news of Salvation.
Let me share with you 4 situations wherein God displays His empowerment on us:
1) GOD EMPOWERS US IN OUR WEAKNESS
- Each one of us was given different gifts and talents that we could use in our service to others. We may think that our weaknesses may pull us down, but these are the things that God use in order for us to come back to Him for comfort. As what Pastor Gane has said to us when we are having our sermon-writing workshop; he stated that “LET THE AFFLICTED BE COMFORTED, AND LET THE COMFORTED BE AFFLICTED.” If we all pray continually to God, we can be assured that God will help us even at the lowest points of our lives.
2) GOD EMPOWERS US WHEN WE ARE CONFUSED
- God said “Don’t worry, just have faith in me and I’ll never allow you to be confused.” There are times when we cannot firmly decide on certain things; but again, we should pray to God and trust in Him that He will lead us to the right decision. It may not be the one we wanted, but God knows what we need and that we should just put our trust on Him that He will provide it for us.
3) GOD EMPOWERS US SO WE WON’T LIVE IN THE PAST
- Too often we say “Back in the Good Old Days…” but perhaps the good old days were not that good. David acknowledges in PSALMS 71:5 “For You are my hope, O Lord God”. He was living in the future. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT GOD HOLDS OUR FUTURE.
4) GOD EMPOWERS US EVEN AT TIMES WHEN WE ARE COMPLAINING
- We tend to complain when we face problems, trials and challenges in our lives, but remember that God is always with us. Because His timing is perfect, we must wait, trust, and NOT COMPLAIN. It’s easy to complain, but we need to wait in silence before the Lord. And praise Him, because one day you will look back and UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAD TO WAIT.
As I close, I’d like to leave you this CHALLENGE:
· FIRST, as Youth of today, let us continue to set a good example of HOW TO LIVE A CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE.
· SECOND, let us continue preserving our CHRISTIAN HERITAGE we have inherited from our parents and elders for the future generations.
· LASTLY, let us continue to live a life that would magnify our testimony for God.
Dearly beloved EMC youth of today, let us all join hands in sharing with others the gift of salvation our Lord Jesus offered when he died on the cross, AND TOGETHER LET US ALL EMPOWER THE YOUTH OF TOMORROW!
AMEN.
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