God, I’m Just a Kid!
Blake Heffner October 29th, 2006
“God, I’m Just a Kid!” A Confirmation Meditation
October 29, 2006 Texts: Jeremiah 1:4-10 I Timothy 4:12
INTRO: “God, I’m just a kid!” That’s a rough translation of Jeremiah’s response to the Lord. Can you confirmands identify with him? You have finished the course of preparation; you are ready to stand before God, your families and this church family to profess your faith in Jesus Christ and your desire to serve him. But, somewhere in the back of your minds, aren’t you thinking, “It’s finally over! Now I can go back to where I was before – on the sidelines, out of the limelight. Nobody will expect much of me. I’m just a kid!” Well, I have news for you. God has done some pretty big things through kids like you. We’ll take the next few minutes to look a few of them. [But first, let us pray…]
1. Jeremiah
Let’s start with Jeremiah. By his own admission, he was way too young to assume the responsibility of prophet to the nation of Israel. He didn’t know how to get up in front of people and speak. A lot of us can identify with him – no matter what age we may be.
That didn’t faze God! The Lord said, “Heh, you don’t have to worry! I know you; I had this plan for your life from before you were born! Don’t say you’re too young. I am putting my words in your mouth. Just tell the people what I tell you. Don’t be afraid – I will be with you and protect you.”
If you feel a little like Jeremiah today, take heart. The Lord has a plan for your life too – He had it before you were born. And the Lord will equip you to say or do whatever it is he wants you to do. Do you believe that? If so, then this is the day to say “Here I am, Lord, send me, use me!”
2. David
David is another famous person whom God selected when he was very young. You can read about this in I Samuel 16. Samuel, the judge, has been sent to Bethlehem find the next king of Israel. He comes to Jesse’s house and announces that the next king would be one of his sons. So, Jesse brings his boys front and center. Eliab is the oldest. He is tall and strong, and a great soldier. But, the Lord tells Samuel, “Don’t look on the outward appearance. That’s the way people usually judge, but I look on the heart!” So, seven of Jesse’s fine boys have been paraded before Samuel – and the Lord tells him to reject each one of them. “Is this your whole brood?” Samuel asks Jesse. “Nope,” he replies, “My youngest is our tending my sheep.” So they go fetch David, and immediately Samuel knows he is the one. He is the youngest, and the least likely candidate, but the Lord knew something no one else did: David was a young man after God’s own heart. So, while he was still just a kid, Samuel anointed him with oil and declared him to be the next king of Israel.
Isn’t that encouraging. Everybody else seems to judge us by how we look, or how well we do in sports or in school. Are we pretty or handsome? Are we tall and strong and fast? It can make you feel pretty inadequate, right? Never forget David. The Lord looks at what’s in your heart – not at your size or shape or strength or brains. And if your heart is right with the Lord, there’s no telling what He can do through you!
Remember David’s clash with Goliath? He was still just a kid; his brothers told him to go home. Yet, David was the only one courageous enough to face that monstrous warrior. You know what happened: that huge giant went down with just one stone from his slingshot. David said, “This battle is the Lord’s.” Trust the Lord to handle your battles, to get you through every tough challenge, and you will be victorious in life!
3. Isaac
Isaac was just a kid when the Lord asked his father Abraham to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Imagine that! You can read the whole story in Genesis 22. It is a very significant story. Isaac is lying there on the pile of wood, all tied up. His father raises the knife to kill him – and then an angel of the Lord says, “Stop! Don’t kill your son. You have passed the test!” And Abraham saw a ram that was caught in a bush by his horns. Abraham took the ram for his sacrifice and his son was spared.
Young Isaac became the most graphic picture of how you and I are saved by God’s grace. Because we are sinners, we deserve to die. But God offered Jesus, his only Son, to be the ram, or sacrificial Lamb, who dies in our place. Jesus died so that we might live and serve the Lord. God invites us – no matter how young or old we are - to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve him. When you come front, you are saying: “Yes, Lord, thank you for saving me by grace; now I am ready and willing to serve you with my life.”
4. Jesus
We know something about Jesus when he was a boy, just twelve years old. It’s an interesting story. His parents brought him to Jerusalem for a big festival, but when they left for home, Jesus wasn’t with them. They assumed he was traveling with the group until about the third day, when he wasn’t anywhere to be found. Jesus, they soon discovered, was back in the Temple, listening to the teachers of the Law, and asking them questions. He was just a kid – but Luke tells us, “All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”
You might say, “Well, he was the Son of God, he had an advantage!” But the truth is that he was fully human. That means, at 12 he was pretty much like you. You have the capacity to understand God’s Word. I pray that you will want to keep this conversation going, that you will want to keep on learning about the Lord and participate in the life of the church – even if or when your parents might not be here with you.
5. Timothy
Paul wrote two letters to his friend Timothy. We don’t really know how young Timothy was; he may not have been an adolescent like you. But, clearly he was young enough that some people were criticizing him and not respecting his calling to teach and preach God’s Word. I believe Paul’s advice in our scripture lesson was written for you, too: “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith and purity.”
In other words, “Don’t let anyone put you down or dismiss you by scoffing, ‘You’re just a kid!’” Paul has profound insight here. At your age you are already old enough to set an example for the rest of us – in the way you talk and act. Last fall, one of our recent confirmands got up in a rather heated meeting and did just that. She expressed being disturbed by the whole discussion and said, “In Sunday School we were taught to live by a simple song: The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that’s the book for me. I’ll take my stand on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.” This young lady had expressed her faith and genuinely witnessed to all of us!
6. Ways You Can Make a Difference Right Now
The prophet Isaiah wrote: “ A little child shall lead them.” I believe this means God is still using young people like you to accomplish his purpose. God never says, “You’re just a kid!” God looks at your heart and has a plan for your life, to use you to build his kingdom. In closing, let me suggest a few ways in which you are already able to make a difference:
A. Humility and Obedience
Right now you are in a position where people give you orders – at home, in school, on the athletic field. Am I right? Well, learn to take orders with an attitude of humility. Respect those in authority over you. They are not always right – but they deserve your respect either way. And, they deserve your obedience. This seems to go against everything society is telling you, and even what your mind might be telling you. Why, you surely know more about some things than your parents. But, Jesus said the mark of a true disciple is the willingness to be a servant and not the boss. Right now is a good time to learn and practice humility, servanthood, and obedience to those in authority over you. Until you master this, you can never be a living sacrifice.
B. Love
Paul counseled young Timothy to be an example by his love. This is the perfect time of life for you to learn to treat everybody with respect and care. Others may be forming cliques and excluding kids who not in the “in” crowd. But you can reach out to such kids and be sensitive to their feelings. You can’t possibly be best friends with everybody, but you can respect everyone. You can accept those who are different from you – maybe they wear a turban or don’t eat the same foods. Get to know them and understand why they do what they do. You will be a shining example of Jesus’ love for all people. You may be just the friend someone else has been looking for.
C. Faith
Paul told Timothy that despite his youth, he could show others what faith is all about. We have planted the seeds of faith within you. Now it is up to you to keep cultivating these seeds. Like tender plants, faith will die unless we keep watering it. You have been required to come to church regularly; now it’s up to you to be a faithful worshiper.
You’ll really appreciate your faith when you mess things us. When you’ve really blown it, the world will condemn you. But, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Even your friends may walk away from you, but the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. Other people may not forgive you, but hold a grudge against you. Yet, if we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just; he forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness! So, when you make mistakes – and we all do – turn to the Lord because he is merciful, confess your sins, seek forgiveness. The Holy Spirit will pick you up, dust you off, and get you going in a new direction.
D. Purity
We could spend an hour talking about purity. The simple fact is that at your age you are relatively innocent. Praise God! Try to stay this way. You will be exposed to all kinds of thoughts and suggestions in the years ahead. Learn to listen to your conscience. When you are tempted to do something you know is wrong, pray to the Lord for wisdom and courage and strength to resist the temptation. This is why it is important to stay close to Jesus Christ, stay in his Word, and stay in fellowship with other Christians. Otherwise, all alone we are much weaker and more vulnerable to temptation. Make every effort to remain pure in your hearts and minds, in your words and deeds.
There is so much more I would like to say this morning, but we’ll have to leave those things for another time. Let us pray…
The Lord said to me, “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.”
I answered, “Sovereign Lord, I don’t know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Then the Lord reached out, touched my lips, and said to me, “Listen, I am giving you the words you must speak. Today I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
I Timothy 4:12
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct , your love, faith, and purity.
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