Let's Talk – Teens

What is the most important characteristic of God?

For many of us love would come to mind as the most important characteristic of God. For good reason. Mankind rebelled against God through Adam and Eve, and because of love, Jesus paid the penalty of the sins for which we should be punished by dying on the cross.

But there is a case to be made for which there is an attribute even more important than love, and that is holiness.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah 6:3b

Notice the word “holy” is stated three times. In ancient Hebrew writings if something is repeated, it means the word or phrase is important. Usually it is repeated twice, but in this situation, three times. God is holy because everything God does and says is perfect. His motives, plans and actions are perfect. When God gets angry it is because of His holiness. God is a God of righteous judgement and hates sin because He is holy. His holiness is foundational to His love, wisdom and power.

Isn’t it presumptuous for Christians to say they know for sure they are going to heaven?

Maybe something will happen before they die which would prevent them from going to heaven. That is what many non – Christians say about us going to heaven. But as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we have the assurance of eternity in heaven.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:13

Read that verse again. Christians can know and trust in the promise God Himself gives through His Word.

Why do some Christians doubt their faith?

Christians doubting their faith is more common than you may think. There are three main reasons many Christians doubt the existence of God.

1. Lack of knowledge and a failure to trust God’s Word. A college student goes to biology class in which the professor claims to have proof there is no God and the universe came into existence on its own. The student was raised in a Christian home and went to church and Sunday School but now has this flood of doubts. This student needs to study Scripture and learn some Biblical Creationism.
2. Many Christians doubt because of a tragic situation in their lives; the death of a loved one or a physical hardship. Again, knowledge of Biblical truth is lacking. We brought sin into this world through Adam and Eve and the hardships we endure are the hardships we bring upon ourselves. Stop blaming God, He did not bring sin into this world, His created universe was good, not evil.
3. Many Christians doubt because they refuse to live according to how God wants them to live. Rebelliousness against a sovereign Lord often brings doubt.

How do we push aside doubt? By studying Scripture, learning apologetics, being obedient and praying. Serve God in some way; join the choir at church, teach a 3^rd grade Sunday School class. Develop a deeper relationship with a God who loves you more than you can ever know.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Philippians 1:9

Why is believing in the sovereignty of God important?

First, let’s look at the word sovereign. The dictionary defines the word this way: “one that exercises supreme authority”.

Simply put… God is the boss; not you, God is in charge because He is God. We need to allow God to be God.

Job is a great example of a man allowing God to be God. After losing his children and all his possessions this was his statement.

At this Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job 1:20-22

Even in his grief and sadness, Job did not react with his emotions, but reacted knowing that God was sovereign. Job looked at his situation through the knowledge of God, not how he felt. He knew that God is good but Job also knew that the sin of mankind leads to suffering and hardship. That is how Job was able to handle his loss.

Believing in the sovereignty of God doesn’t mean that we allow hardships to take over. If we get cancer, we find the best cancer treatment, and if we can’t find a job, we keep looking.

Why is believing in the sovereignty of God important? Because it allows us to live our lives with all its’ joys and sorrows loving an Almighty and Sovereign God.

I know that Jesus died and paid the penalty for all of my sins. Does that include the sins that I
will commit in the future?
God is outside of time; He is not bound by the past, present and future. He knows all of the sins
that you have committed and will commit. All of your sins are forgiven, past, present and
future.
Well then, you may ask, if all of my future sins are already forgiven by the death of Jesus on the
cross, will God care if I commit more sins? After all, why not have some fun before heaven.
That is a bad idea: God did not save us from our sins so that we could sin more, but so that we
could be more like Christ.
What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We
died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but
alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey
its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but
rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer
the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6:1-2; 11-13
We owe God a great debt. Jesus did not have to die on the cross for our sins; He did it out of
love. All God asks in return is our love and obedience to Him.

Will we recognize people in heaven?

The Bible does not give us a lot of information about our relationships in heaven. But the Bible does touch on the subject. There was a rich man and a beggar who both died. The rich man ended up in hell but he recognized the beggar who was in heaven.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 16:22-23

Peter knew who Moses and Elijah were even though they died hundreds of years earlier.

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the son, and His clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.

Matthew 17:1-4

What about marriage relationships? There will be no marriage in heaven, but our relationships will be better in a perfect heaven than here on earth.

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

Matthew 22:30

Scripture leads us to believe that without sin, our relationships in heaven will have a wonderful intimacy with our glorified brothers and sisters.

Why should I go to church? It’s so boring.

You’re right, sometimes church is boring. Maybe the preacher is speaking on a topic that you have no interest in. Maybe you can’t get your mind off what you need to do this week. Here are some reasons why you should go to church.

1. You need to be part of something bigger than yourself doing something bigger than your own thing. Church reaches out and ministers to others, whether it is a children’s Bible club or collecting food for the poor (the list could be endless). Be connected with a church that connects with others in the church and outside of the church.
2. It pleases God when the Body of Christ comes together in worship. Focus on pleasing an almighty, merciful, and loving God, not on yourself being bored. Praising God together helps us think about what a great God we have.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing. With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn – shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

Psalm 98:4-6

1. Church gives you a place, a platform, to serve Christ. A place to help and encourage one another, whether spiritually or physically. Not all serving takes place within the church; telling a coworker about Jesus or buying your neighbor a much needed bag of groceries. Church can be more of a long term and consistent place to serve; example: teaching a 3^rd grade Sunday School class from September to May.

Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27

1. Church gives us a place to increase our knowledge of God. People that know more than we do, teaching us how to honor God with how we think and how we live. Godly people setting an example with what it means to be Godly. The elderly couple sitting in the pew in front of you have been married for 50 years, and they are so happy together. The man sitting next to you finding out he has brain cancer yet being at church singing with his face beaming with joy. The pastor speaking on a wide range of topics, all pointing to a God who sent His Son to take the penalty, the punishment for our sins.

And that takes us back to the topic at hand; you don’t want to go to church because church is boring. Is it possible that you are self-centered and shallow? After all, where do you think Jesus would want you on a Sunday morning? Your Christian life is not based on what you want, but on honoring a great God. You say that you can worship at home; are you? Probably not. You say that Sundays are the only day you get to sleep in. God sacrificed His son to take the penalty for your sin, maybe you can sacrifice a little sleep. Do you love God? Then show it.

Why should I believe the Bible, everybody knows it’s full of contradictions.

Actually, the Bible is not full of contradictions. It does have parts that are difficult to understand that people interpret as contradictions, but with some basic knowledge of the text those misunderstandings fade away. Here is an example:

Why do the inscriptions on Jesus’ Cross differ among the four gospel?

And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Matthew 27:37

And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. Mark 15:26

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Luke 23:38

Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. John 19:19

The charge against Jesus was written in three different languages: Greek, Latin and Hebrew. Since Matthew’s audience was mainly Jewish, he likely quoted the Hebrew inscription. Luke’s audience was the Gentiles and he likely quoted the Greek inscription. John writes that Pilate wrote the inscription and since Latin was the official language of the Romans, John likely quoted the Latin inscription. Mark, perhaps shortened his version of what he witnessed. The content of all four inscriptions was the same and the differences can be attributed to the language of the inscription being quoted by the author, or the author’s liberty to quote the part of the sign that he thought was sufficient in his historical account of the events.

The Bible has many passages that are hard to understand because of differing styles of literature, translating words from ancient Hebrew or Greek, or a misunderstanding of context. But all of these passages can be cleared up with additional study.

Now to those who still believe the Bible is full of errors, you do so because of your beliefs. You want the Bible to have contradictions so when you read a text that is difficult, you interpret it as a contradiction or error even though it’s not. Be honest with yourself… You do not want a God that can tell you what to do and what not to do.

Why should I become a Christian? The worst hypocrites are in the church.

A hypocrite says or believes one thing but does another. And yes, there are hypocrites in the church, but not all Christians are hypocrites. There are a lot of Christians that live true to their faith. Are these Christians perfect? No, Christians are still fighting a sin nature, and yes they do sin, even though they have asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins. Plus there are Christians who have a grumpy personality, there are Christians who have no desire to live out their lives in a way that would please Jesus. There are weak Christians that have difficulty saying no to temptation. There are also Christians that are mad at God for a certain hurt or loss in their lives and they take that pain out in others.

It is important not to confuse hypocrisy with sin. All Christians are sinners, but not all Christians are hypocrites. There is a misconception that a Christian is a person who claims that he does not sin, but the truth is that to call oneself a Christian is to admit to being a sinner.

Christianity does not stand or fall on the way Christians have acted throughout history or are acting today. Christianity stands or falls on the person of Jesus and Jesus was not a hypocrite. He lived consistently with what He taught and at the end of His life He challenged those who had lived with Him day and night for over three years to point out any hypocrisy in Him. His disciples were silent because there was none.

Since Christianity depends on Jesus, it is incorrect to try to invalidate the Christian faith by pointing to bad things that Christians have done or by the horrible things done in the name of Christianity from history.

Adam and Eve brought sin into the foundation of man’s thinking and being. God’s plan was to send His Son Jesus to take the punishment for our sins so we would not have to face the wrath of a holy God. God loved us so much that He was willing to offer His Son to take our place. The truthfulness of Christianity rest on Jesus being God coming as a man to take the punishment for our sins. All you need to do is to believe that Jesus is Gods Son come down to take the punishment for your sin, repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you.

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Why is life so unfair?

The lives of people who don’t believe in God are often times better than those who do believe in God.

Let’s take a quick look at a man who wrote a chapter in the book of Psalm. His name is Asaph, and he wrote Psalm 73. Asaph was dealing with a very difficult time in his life. He loved and honored God, but when he looked around at people who did not honor God, he noticed that their lives were better than his.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

73:2-5

Why would a righteous God prosper the wicked while he, a Godly man, has struggles? It’s not fair. Asaph is thinking, why worship God? What’s the point? Why even try to be faithful?

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

73:13-14

Then Asaph changes his thinking as he tries to make sense of it all.

When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me, till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

73:16-17

When he changes his thinking from self-centered to God centered, his situation starts to make sense. When he enters the temple of worship he discovers what Gods’ plan is.

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

73:18-19

Now with his God centered “glasses” on, he can see that it is God and God alone that he needs.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

73:25-26

Why is Jesus the only way to God?

A personal God created the heavens and the earth. He also created man in His own image and had a perfect relationship with him. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they brought in sin to all of mankind and creation. That relationship was broken. However, God promised to make all these things right and gave His word that He would send a Savior, or Messiah, who would deliver mankind from the bondage of sin. God’s Word did indeed come true. God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He was fully human and fully God. Jesus took the punishment for man’s sins and rose from the dead so that man’s sin could be judged by a holy God. Being the perfect righteous God man, Jesus was the only one who could take the punishment for mankind’s sin. This was God’s perfect plan. No other plan works because it was not from God. If mankind could have reached God any other way, then Jesus would not be God and would not have had to die.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?

Here’s a scenario: Your 10 year old daughter has been hit by a car and is in critical condition. You pray for her life; your church prays for her healing. But she dies two days later. You are hurt and disappointed with God. After all, she was a good kid. She didn’t have to die. It wasn’t her fault. Why didn’t God answer your prayers? Where was He, and why didn’t He heal her? Is God even there? Does He care? God feels so very far away.

The writer of Psalm 77 had some serious hurt and pain. The writers name was Asaph. Read what he was feeling.

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. 77:1-2

Asaph does not tell us the source of his pain, but we know he was in great distress. He feels that God has left him and he is very much alone.

Will the Lord reject forever? Will He never show his favor again? Has His unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time? 77:7-8

Then Asaph does something that most people never think of. He puts aside the pain, the disappointment and the hurt. He stops and rethinks the situation; Asaph decides to think about the greatness of the God he loves.

I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. 77:12-14

Asaph thought that prayer would solve his problem, take away the hurt. Prayer was never designed for that purpose. God designed prayer as an instrument of intimacy between Him and us. Before you pray, meditate on God, think on who God is, His holiness, His love for us. Focus on God Himself before you focus on what you want God to do. When we pray before meditating we put ourselves at the center of our prayers: I’m in trouble! I’m in pain! Sometimes we think we are in charge, not almighty God. We need to meditate on Bible passages that speak to us about God and who He is. Read this last statement very carefully… We need to allow God to be God and trust Him for the outcome of our lives, whether good or bad.