The Neighborhood Podcast
This is a podcast of Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina featuring guests from both inside the church and the surrounding community. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing, Head of Staff.
The Neighborhood Podcast
HS Youth Sunday (February 16, 2025 Sermon)
Confidence can often feel elusive, but true strength lies in our connection to God. This episode encourages listeners to reflect on where they source their identity and confidence, drawing insights from Jeremiah 17 and Luke 6 to explore a Christ-centered life.
• Exploring the relationship between confidence and dependence on God
• Lessons from Jeremiah on being rooted like a tree by streams of water
• Jesus' radical definition of happiness and belonging in His kingdom
• The importance of fostering spiritual practices to maintain connection with God
• Reflecting on personal identity and trust in God’s faithfulness
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Let us be in prayer. The Lord tests the mind and searches the heart In this moment of proclamation. O God, may our hearts and minds be receptive to you and your way. Amen.
Speaker 1:Our first reading today comes from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, verses 5 through 10. I'm reading from the Common English Bible Translation the Lord proclaims cursed are those who trust in mere humans and who depend on human strength and turn their hearts from the Lord. They will be like a desert shrub that doesn't know when relief comes. They will be like a desert shrub that doesn't know when relief comes. They will live in the parched places of the wilderness, in a barren of land where no one survives. Happy are those who trust in the Lord, who rely on the Lord. They will be like trees planted by the streams whose roots reach down to the water. They won't fear drought when it comes. Their leaves will remain green. They won't be stressed in time of drought or fail to bear fruit. The most cunning heart, it's beyond help. Who can figure it out? I, the Lord, probe the heart and discern the hidden motives To give everyone what they deserve the consequences of their deeds. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to.
Speaker 2:God. Our gospel reading is found in the book of Luke, chapter 6, verses 17 to 26. I will be reading from the Common English Bible Translation Jesus' popularity increases. Jesus came down from the mountain with them and stood on a large area of level ground. A great company of his disciplines and a huge crowd of people from all around Judah and Jerusalem and the area around Ty and Sidon joined him there. They came to hear him and to be healed from their diseases, and those bothered by unclear spirits were healed. The whole crowd wanted to touch him because power was going out from him and he was healing everyone.
Speaker 2:Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said Happy are you who are poor, because God's kingdom is yours. Happy are you who hunger now because you will be satisfied? Happy are you who weep now because you will laugh? Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you and condemn your name as evil because of the human one? Rejoice when that happens. Leap for joy because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same thing to the prophets. But how terrible for you who are rich, because you have already received your comfort. How terrible for you who have plenty now because you will be hungry. How terrible for you who laugh now because you will mourn and weep. How terrible for you when all speak well of you. Their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets. The word of God. For the people of God, thanks be to God. Thank you for joining us today. For those of you who don't know me, I am Payne Stewart.
Speaker 2:I'm a freshman at Northwest Guilford High School. My parents are Tim and Liz Stewart. I have two sisters, ava and Dory, and in my free time I participate in track. Where do each of you find your confidence? In your daily lives, at work, with friends or at school? We all need confidence, but many times we try to find it in the wrong places. We find confidence in popularity, physical strength, knowledge, possession skills and plenty of other things, but all of these things will let us down at some point, and none of them can help much during hard times. What can help us during hard times is God.
Speaker 2:Jeremiah says that those who find confidence in God are like trees by a river when heat and drought comes, their leaves will still be green, and when they can continue producing fruit, this means that we too can be blessed if we take refuge in Him. God promises that those who place their trust and confidence in him will find an unfailing source of life and will be peaceful and fruitful during any situation. As a Christian, 100 of our roots and our identity should be in our faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone. If our spiritual roots are not firmly planted in fertile soil with a good source of water and light, we simply cannot bear fruit from God's kingdom If our roots and identity are in anything other than Christ. We will fall short and fall when life droughts and challenging times come. We can be planted and find our own identity in the world or the world, but not both.
Speaker 2:Think about your phone. When it's fully charged, it works perfectly fine, but what happens when you don't plug it in? The battery drains and eventually it dies. It doesn't matter how expensive and advanced the phone is unless it is useless without power. We're like that phone.
Speaker 2:When we are connected to God, our source of strength, we're fully charged with peace, hope and purpose. We are confident. But when we disconnect from him, we start to feel drained, anxious and weak, especially when life gets hard. Trusting God is like staying plugged into your charger it keeps you going, gives you confidence, no matter what. We must consider our position, posture and proximity to God just like the tree planted by the water that sends its roots to the stream. Being rooted in Jesus Christ and being led by his Holy Spirit affirms our identity in him. We must cultivate the soil daily by staying close to him in prayer, quiet time, worship and fellowship. As we strive, we will not just survive but thrive living a Christ-centered life and bearing his fruit. Before I close this out, I just have a few questions for you. How can you place more trust in God? What other areas of your life do you tend to place your identity, and how much time do you spend cultivating the soil of your spiritual disciplines?