When I say “Faith” what do you think of?
Faith is all over our lives.
Is Johnsburg High School going to take the state football championship this year?
Is Richmond Burton going to take the state football championship this year?
George Michael – “You got to have faith, faith, faith”
Group everyone in groups of 4:
What are some other examples of places that we are told that we have to have faith?
So then what is faith? (In groups of 4, come up with a definition or description of what faith is. Then show us what you mean by acting it out in a 30-45 second everyday life skit.)
After each one we’ll talk about what your group came up with.
By the time we are done with this series, you will be shown that “God can be trusted; He will do all that He has promised to do.” You will be faced with the question, “Am I trusting God with the critical areas of my life?”
Object – Teens will understand that Authentic Faith is not rooted in circumstances
People have faith in all kinds of things. People exercise faith throughout their day without even realizing it. We live our entire lives based on faith. (5 things)
1 – You got out of bed this morning and put your feet on what? (A floor)
2 – You stood at a bus-stop and then got on a what? (A bus) Let’s talk about the bus a little bit. How did you know that it would be there to pick you up? How did you know that it would stop in front of you and not roll over you? (Do you stand by the curb or do you stand away? Do you take a step back or do you take a step forward?)
When you have faith in something, you are saying I trust this. I believe that it will do what it claims that it will do?
I never thought that I would be too fat to buy a ladder, but I am.
200 lb limit
I believe that if I get on that ladder and carry something, it’s going to break. I believe it enough to not buy it.
What determines what I believe about God and about this life?
If we were honest, then most of us would say that what I experience in my life determines what I believe. The circumstances that I’m in everyday tell me whether or not God is real and whether or not He loves me or cares for me.
A girl whose father beats her or molests her hears that God is our “Father”. So she believes that God is a jerk and doesn’t care about her, because either He’s just like her dad or he doesn’t care enough to do anything about it.
A boy prays and prays for God to help him pass a test – but he fails. That must mean that God doesn’t answer prayer or maybe God is punishing him. His faith in God is shattered by her interpretation of the circumstances around him.
Faith based on circumstance is fragile, because it is rooted in the present.
How many of you like needles?
A four year old is carried by his dad into the Dr’s office after cutting his hand open on a piece of sharp metal. The doctor pulls out a huge needle to give the child a tetanus shot. Does his father love him? (answer) He doesn’t think so.
The reality of how loving or true God is doesn’t hinge on the different events that happen in our lives.
If that little boy were to look back on his life, he would be thankful that his dad brought him to the doctor to get that shot.
Things happen in our lives. We have good days and we have bad days. Basing what we believe about God on the different events doesn’t work, because we misinterpret events. We don’t have enough knowledge to
Who has heard of the phrase, “Hindsight is 20/20”
It means that you had no idea what you were talking about before when you were going through this, but now I can look back and see what actually was going on.
My ‘frame of reference’ just increased.
Here’s the problem: Joseph as a boy, spent 15 years as a slave in Egypt after being sold into slavery by his own brothers. He spent years in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit. Did care about Joseph? (Yes.) His “tragedy” was a part of an incredible plan that God was weaving behind the scenes to save an entire region from famine. Read the rest of the story (Genesis 37-45).
Your lives are always changing. For many teens, their circumstances defines who God is.
How about you? If God doesn’t answer your prayers by next week, will you wonder if He exists? If you don’t see Him working in your situation, will you lose your confidence in Him?
Can your faith be summarized by this statement: “What’s happening now and what I’m feeling now determine what I believe for now”? If so, then you have a faulty understanding of faith (That’s not what faith is.). Are you ready to replace that faulty understanding with an authentic faith?
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