Hope for the Teenager

I want to address the teenagers here this morning, and this message is for you and you alone. There may be someone here today who is searching. You are searching for something better in your life.

In fact, you are crying out for something better to come into your life. You are at the end of yourself. You may be a girl who is self-harming herself by cutting or starving yourself through an eating disorder, and you need help, but you don't know where to go to get it or who to turn to.

You seem your parents don't understand you or your problem, and you can't turn to them. So who do you turn to for help? The desperate cry of your heart is help. You know you need to change, but how? Or perhaps you are a boy who is in the grip of pornography, and it's ruling you, and you have become its slave.

You were thrilled by it, but disgusted by it, and now it controls your life. You want to get out from under its power over you, but you don't know how. You're too embarrassed to even discuss it with anyone.

You have become its slave, and you don't know what to do. Perhaps you are here today with a drug problem, and it's been out of control. You've made some bad choices with friends, and they have influenced you for bad.

Your life didn't used to be this wasted and hopeless, and suddenly it's all come crashing down, and you are overwhelmed by the weight of it all. You are addicted to the drug you use, and now it controls you instead of you controlling it. You need help, but who do you go to? Perhaps you are sitting here today, and you are experimenting with the same sex.

You're involved in a bisexual relationship, and it has you more confused than anything else. You at first liked the excitement of it, but now you're ashamed of it. You're stuck in the middle, so to speak, of liking a person of your own sex, and liking a person of the opposite sex.

You are now confused as to your future relationships, and even confused about your own sexual identity. You feel trapped. Or maybe you are here, and you're angry.

Your anger is alienating you from everybody. That counts in your life. You're mad, and you have no real release for your anger, and it's boiling inside of you like a raging sea with all its foam spilling over.

How in the world can you get over this anger? What can you do? Or perhaps you are here, and you are disillusioned with life. Friends have disappointed you and let you down. Persons you trusted have betrayed that trust.

They lied to you and hurt your feelings. You are disappointed with people in general. You have hundreds of followers on Instagram, but you have few real relationships you can count on.

You are tired of being hurt by others. Who can you even trust anymore? Perhaps you are here, and you want to run away from home. Things are bad in your home, and you want to get out, and you can't wait to get out on your own and get far away from there, and be independent, and make your own choices in life.

But you don't have the money right now to leave, or a way to leave, and you feel stuck in a bad situation. You want out, but you don't know how. Perhaps you are a girl, and you just found out you're pregnant.

You're afraid. You're mad at your boyfriend who suddenly ditched you when he found out you were pregnant. You don't know what to do.

Do you get an abortion, or do you have the baby? Who can you turn to that would understand? What do you do next? You are frightened and don't know what to do. Perhaps you are here, and things are so dark and hopeless in your life that you are considering suicide. You're sad and depressed, and you can't seem to get out of this deep, dark depression that surrounds your every waking moment.

You think of ways to end your existence in this world, because this world isn't worth living any longer. Everything is so hopeless, and you see no solutions to your dilemma, and you're starting to listen to voices that are telling you to end it all. Perhaps you are here, and you've done something really bad, and no one knows about it.

If they did, they would not want to be your friend. You feel ashamed and guilty and sad. You need to tell someone about it, but you are reluctant to talk to anybody for it is so bad.

Perhaps you like to shoplift and steal things because you can get away with it. You have stolen, and now you feel a little guilty for taking something without paying for it, but you don't know if you can stop stealing when you go to the mall, because you know how to get away with it. But deep down, you know it is wrong to be a thief, and now you don't know what to do.

And you feel the church is full of nothing but hypocrites. The adults say, do as I say, but not do as I do. Some of your parents are great Christians on Sunday, but they yell and scream at you through the week, and they aren't any different than your friend's parents who aren't even Christians at all.

The whole church scene is nothing but a joke. Everybody is so fake. You want realness in your life, and you can't find it.

You want to look to God for help, but you don't even know how to approach God. You wonder if He even hears you when you pray. You think Jesus is nothing more than a killjoy, and if you really became a Christian and followed Him, you would have to give up all the fun things in your life, and you don't want to part with that certain thing, or maybe you don't even believe in God.

Is God even real, or is He just a block of stone or a piece of wood like some idol you study in history class? And worst of all, friends have let you down time and time again, and you are sick and tired of trusting people with your feelings because when you do, they just run all over them, and it is not worth opening up to anyone anymore because you don't want to be hurt again. Life sucks, and then you die. Life is so disappointing.

Who is real? Is there anyone I can really count on? Listen, friends. When I was a teenager, things were different in this world. I wasn't exposed to the things you are exposed to that can harm you.

You could even trust the church back in those days to be real and to warn you of your danger of dying in your sins and going to hell. Christians were real back then, and a person's word was as good as gold, but I still had a hunger for more. I had a void in my heart that only God could fill.

When I was a teenager, I heard a story that helped me to understand who Jesus really was, that he was someone I could count on in tough times, count on to get me through and not desert me. Let me share this story with you now. Do any of you have dogs? Do you like dogs? Me too.

I have always had a dog. This story is about a dog. Will you listen to it? Then lend me your ears and let this dog story speak to your heart.

There was once a farmer who had a dog that had been very useful to him, but the dog was getting old and couldn't work around the farm like it had used to in treeing a squirrel and chasing rats out of the barn, so the farmer decided to get rid of the dog by drowning him. So one day, he took the dog with him to a large stream near his farm, and getting into a boat, he rowed out to the deepest part of the river. He had brought along a heavy stone, which he had tied to a cord, and this he fastened around the dog's neck.

But the dog trusted his master and friend, so he paid no attention to the cord around his neck and the large stone beside him at the end of it. The dog just sat in the boat calmly and stared at the farmer while he rested his head on his paws. The dog thought his master was hugging him when he lifted him up in his arms, but to the dog's surprise, his master threw him into the water.

The poor dog sank with a whimper, but the cord around his neck broke, and he rose to the surface with a whine. He tried to get into the boat again, and he couldn't understand why his master wasn't helping him. In fact, the dog was puzzled why, when he got near the boat, the farmer just pushed him away a number of times with an oar.

The dog was getting tired and could barely keep his head afloat any longer. Desperately, he paddled back to the boat again, hoping this time his friend would save him. But instead of lending him a helping hand, the farmer stood up in the boat with the oar in his hands, intending to strike the dog a blow that would send him to the bottom of the river.

But as the farmer swung at him, he lost his balance and fell into the water himself. He could not swim and would have drowned, but when the noble dog saw his master struggling in the water, in spite of the cruel treatment he had received from him, he swam up to him, caught hold of his clothes, and with all his might brought him safe to land. From that day on, the farmer took care of the old dog for the rest of his days, for he realized what a faithful friend he was.

But we hear that story and say the farmer deserved to die for being so cruel to that poor dog. But aren't you here today as guilty as that farmer? You have been even more cruel than he. Listen, about two thousand years ago, Jesus came down from heaven so you could go up there.

He was God himself, and he brought nothing but love and blessings for poor ruined man. Jesus went about doing good, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry, even raising the dead. He brought joy to the weary and sad.

And yet what did men do with him? They cried out, Away with him, and nailed him on a cross of wood. They took large nails, and with a hammer pounded them into his hands and feet to fasten him to that cross. They mocked him, and abused him, and crucified him.

Yet we hear him pray, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. You say how cruel those Roman soldiers were to drive those nails into his feet and hands. But you drove the nails into his feet and hands.

Yes, you and me. We placed a crown of thorns on his head. We spit in his face.

Our sins nailed him to the cross and made him bleed. And we denied Jesus with our very lives. But Jesus looks at us and says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Jesus hung on that bloody cross for our sins so we could have peace with the Father. Though the cross was the place where men sought to get rid of him, in his death it became a place where his saving grace flows out to all who come in repentance, confessing their sins, and own him as their Savior and Lord. Listen, young people.

Jesus is not a killjoy. But rather, he will give you joy. He will give you a peace that passes all understanding.

Remember the faithful dog in our story who turned around and saved his master's life? Jesus saves us from our sins, and he saves us not for time only, but for all eternity. Your friends may let you down and disappoint you, but Jesus will never let you down or let you go. He is a faithful friend you can count on.

He says, I will never leave you or forsake you. You ask, how do I own him as Savior and Lord? What must I do to be saved? A young person looked at Jesus and him alone to save you. Listen, there was a young person who approached Jesus when Jesus was here on earth in his earthly ministry.

This young person was a ruler with plenty of money. He came to Jesus and said, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Jesus looked at him with love and told him to sell what he had and give it to the poor and come take up his cross and follow him. But this young man did not want to give up his wealth to follow Jesus, so he walked away grieved.

There was a thing that stood between him and God. You know what? It's not so much our acceptance of Jesus, but his acceptance of us. When we come to him, we must give ourselves entirely to him.

But unlike others, you can trust Jesus to have your best interests at heart. Jesus wants to heal you. Jesus wants to bring you into a love relationship with him.

Go to him with all your heart. Look to him. Listen to his invitations of the gospel.

Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. Listen, young person. Are you tired of your sins? Are you hungry for God? Are you thirsty for Christ? Then listen to Jesus as he says to you, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come and let him that heareth say, Come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.

Listen, dear one. I can promise you this. Once you give your life to Christ you will never regret it.

Jesus is a faithful friend who will never let you down or never let you go. His love was poured out for you on that bloody cross. He came down from heaven so you can go up to heaven and listen to the love of God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Get serious with God and He will get serious with you. Will you get serious with Him? He is your only hope.

Let me pray. Lord Jesus, this life is hard and we can't make it alone. We need you, Jesus.

You are our only hope in this world of confusion and sin. Lord, if there is someone here today who is struggling and they are crying out for help, will you please help that person? Will you bring deliverance from their hopeless situation? You promised that if we come to You for salvation, You will not cast us out. Grant us the grace, I pray, to receive You in a saving way.

Only Your Holy Spirit can take the hard heart of stone and make it a tender heart of flesh. Jesus, only You can bring healing and change to a person's life. You are the bread of life.

You are the water of life. You say, Come unto me, those who are weary. Lord Jesus, move in hearts now, I pray.

Amen.