73 Sermon Illustrations on Young People

Rod Matthews, 15, killed a classmate "to know what it was like." He chose an overweight high school freshman (Shaun Ouillette, 14) relatively new to the school because he felt he would not be missed. After luring him into the woods, he hit him in the head 3 times with a baseball bat, then considered cutting off his arms and legs. He had told his friends previously he wanted to kill somebody. He took friends to see the body. Police found the body 3 weeks later, after one of the friends sent them an anonymous letter. Matthews claims he decided to kill someone after seeing the videotape "Faces of Death," which shows animal and human deaths. He has been sentenced to life in prison (youngest person in Mass. prisons). He had a history of emotional problems. He mother thinks the sentence is too stiff.

(Details, picture in article)

Every morning she does a combination of yoga and exercises in the living room. As she was kneeling one day with arms outstretched and head bowed to the floor, her son came down the stairs. He looked at her and said, “A simple ‘Good morning’ will do!”

Newspaper account of murder of John T. Roberts by adopted sons, with speculation as to their motive. Some said they were abused, others did not.

#614

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A sociological study interviewed fifty people over the age of 95 on one question: "If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?"

Three answers dominated:

1. If I had it to do over again, I would reflect more.

2. If I had it to do over again, I would risk more.

3. If I had it to do over again, I would do more things that would live on

after I am dead.

Mary Ellen Snodgrass grew up Southern Baptist and describes what it meant to her life. She felt it was too narrow culturally and married a Catholic. Women in her church had little power. She now attends a middle-of-the-road church. However, the Baptist in her is still important.

Dr. W. R. Coulson, one of the founders of value-free education, recently said he is sorry for the way this philosophy has affected the nation’s youth. He helped organize the project in 1967-68 before resigning as research coordinator.

“Youthful experimentation with sex, alcohol, marijuana, and a variety of other drugs – whatever’s popular at the time – has been shown to follow value-free education quite predictably,” stated Coulson. “We now know that after these classes, students become more prone to give in to temptation than if they’d never been enrolled. One cause lies in an educational philosophy that calls on students and teachers alike to disbelieve in the concept of temptation. Moral absolutes are routed.”

In retrospect, Coulson said the plan “turned out to be a deadly scheme we hatched those twenty years ago,” further stating that he and his project teammates owe the nation’s parents an apology.”

(The Forerunner, May 1989)

Great one page article which summarizes statistics on teenage drug and alcohol use. One in 3 will get drunk at least once a month. It is not just pure choice because they often have a family history of substance abuse. Alcoholics are not weak - they have to be strong to cover it up. Alcohol is the leading killer of adolescents, through drunk driving.

Six things kids want - and desperately need - from Mom and Dad.

1. Keep cool.

2. Show us who's boss.

3. Remember who you are.

4. Talk about God. (used 1/26/92)

5. Call our bluff.

6. Be honest with us. #1277

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Article on how young families are returning to church, though often for

selfish reasons. Emphasis is on yuppies and liberal churches.

Used in sermon:

Newsweek article conclusion:

Spiritual development takes time, also discipline and hard work

- virtues many churches themselves no longer seem to encourage.

Thank God for faiths that can help overcome addiction, loneliness or

stress, for institutions that can help raise the children among us.

But the quest for meaning and purpose does not end there. [1385]

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How to raise a juvenile delinquent:

1. Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he

will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.

2. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's

cute. It will also encourage him to pick up cuter phrases that will blow

off the top of your head later.

3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait till he is 21 and then let him

decide for himself.

4. Avoid use of the word "wrong". He may develop a guilt complex. This will

condition him to believe later, when he is arrested for stealing a car

that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

5. Pick up everything he leaves lying around--books, shoes, and clothing. Do

everything for him so he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility

onto others.

6. Let him read any printed matter he can get his hands on. Be careful that

the silverware and drinking glassed are sterilized, but let his mind feast

on garbage. [used Nov 3, 1991]

7. Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they will

not be too shocked when the home is broken up later.

8. Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own.

Why should he have things as tough as you had them?

9. Satisfy his every craving for food, drink and comfort. See that every

sensual desire is gratified. Denial may lead to harmful frustration.

10. Take his part against neighbors, teachers and policemen. They are all

prejudiced against your child.

11. When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never

could do anything with him."

12. Prepare for a life of grief. You will be apt to have it.

[also found in William Barclay, "Ten Commandments," p. 57]

Letter from a young person to God:

BIG G,

Hi out there! I have only one request: MORE RIGHTS FOR NINE-YEAR-OLDS. I am sick of hearing wait till you're ten. George, age 9

Letter from a young person to God:

Dear God,

I think of you in my prayers. Along with my mom and my dad, my sister Paula, my grandma, my two grandpas, my aunt Jennie, my aunt Gloria, my uncle Sid, my uncle Jack and my cousins Billy and Sherie.

I spend at least three minutes on you every night!

Love,

Terry, age 8

Letter from a young person to God:

Dear God,

Is the world thousands of years old? If it is, what religion were the

dinosaurs?

Terry, age 10

#2141

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Letter from a young person to God:

Dear God,

I am a boy. You need to know that to help. My girlfriend Fran is one year

older than me. Do you think that's okay? Her mom does not know about us.

Thank you,

Bryan, age 8

#2144

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When I was in high school Ann Landers printed a purity test, which we discussed at our church youth group.

It was the kind of test where you earn points according to you level of experience. For example:

Holding Hands - one point

Kissing - three points

Now I'm not going to go into details, but this test covered just about everything.

In the end we added up our points to see how depraved we were. Even in this church group, kids were bragging about how high they scored.

My sister, on the other hand, only got a six. She didn't tell anyone because she was ashamed.

If Jesus was up-to-date, he would say, "Blessed are the slease-balls, for they will be envied."

But he doesn't say that. He says, "Blessed are the pure in heart."

In 2020, life circumstances changed which made it more difficult to attend church services. And, before they even realized it, many haven’t walked into a church building in a couple of years.

For many, that’s described their current post-pandemic situation. But it also corresponds with post-high school life experience for many previously churchgoing young adults.

Lifeway Research found 66 percent of churchgoing teenagers drop out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. Recent Lifeway Research surveys of both pastors and Americans indicate many pre-COVID parishioners are still missing from the pews.

Thinking about the similarities between a church dropout during college and COVID may provide pastors and church leaders with more realistic expectations moving forward and ways to think about reaching those who still haven’t returned.

First, we must discover why people are missing and then what to do to bring them back.

Some intentionally leave because of a change

As teenagers transition to young adults, many also transition away from the religious beliefs and practices they previously held. In the Lifeway Research study of young adults, 29 percent of those who dropped out of the church say they planned on taking a break from church after high school. When asked for a specific reason they dropped out, 32 percent point to hypocrisy or judgmentalism of other church members. And 25 percent say they disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues.

Some of those same factors may be at play post-COVID. In a February 2021 Lifeway Research study of churchgoers, 86 percent said they were proud of how their church responded during the pandemic, but 12 percent said they were ashamed. Pastors probably heard repeatedly from that 12 percent who were upset the church was doing too little or too much in response to COVID-19.

The primary reason young adults leave the church after high school, and more than likely the primary reason churchgoers have not returned post-pandemic, is not, however, an intentional decision. Most simply drifted away during those college years. And the same is true for many during COVID.

Most unintentionally got out of the habit

So why do 2 in 3 churchgoing teenagers stop attending church for at least a year as young adults? Among those who dropped out, 71 percent say their leaving wasn’t an intentional decision. It just happened during life transitions after high school. Almost half (47 percent) of those who dropped out of church and attended college say moving to college played a role in why they were no longer attending church.

Their habits and routines of life were disrupted, and many didn’t make the intentional effort needed to find a new church. Many teens aren’t changing their beliefs, but their beliefs aren’t enough motivation for the work of church hunting and attending.

It seems the same is happening with many pre-COVID churchgoers. They never planned on cutting back on church attendance, but they haven’t made the effort to restart.

In February 2021, 91 percent of churchgoers said they planned on attending in-person services as much or more than they did prior to the pandemic once things became safe.

Now, as almost all churches are physically re-opened, many previous churchgoers have not returned. Churches may still be missing as many as 1 in 4 attendees. Some churchgoers themselves admit they’re no longer attending as often as they did prior to the pandemic.

Like young adults who got out of the habit during college, many previous churchgoers have now fallen out of the practice of regular church attendance during the pandemic.

Most haven’t made some radical change in their theological beliefs. They probably haven’t even changed their feelings toward their churches. The cultural benefits of embracing the “Christian” label have declined, so many of those missing members have just filled their Sunday mornings with something else.

That’s good and bad news for churches. Good news: Your missing churchgoers aren’t actively rejecting you. Bad news: Your missing churchgoers aren’t actively thinking about you.

Churches seeking to draw them back aren’t trying to overcome antagonism, but rather apathy. That’s a different hill to climb. It may not be any less difficult, but it’s different. Still, both hills can be scaled.

Some return

As the saying goes, the best offense is a good defense. So the best way to help young adults return to church is to help them stay in church. But you can only address the current situation, so what about those who are currently missing?

When young adults drop out of church, they’re not all gone forever. In fact, 7 in 10 eventually return to some type of attendance, including 31 percent who attend twice a month or more. What drew them back? God working in their hearts, people extending invitations, and life circumstances causing them to rethink their priorities.

The most popular reason returning young adults give for plugging back into church after an extended absence is parents and other family members encouraging them to attend (37 percent). Another 19 percent said friends or acquaintances invited them.

Around 1 in 3 (32 percent) say they felt a desire to return, while 28 percent said they felt God was calling them to church. And 12 percent specifically felt convicted of the need to return.

Other returning young adults pointed to getting married and wanting to attend with their spouse (19 percent), having children and wanting to attend for them (18 percent), and having a crisis in their lives such as a death in the family (14 percent).

Just as God can draw back missing young adults, He can draw back missing adults and families of all ages. He often works directly in the hearts of people, but frequently He couples that with working in the hearts of others to encourage those who are missing to return.

He’s working right now among those you haven’t seen in a while. But He’s also working in you and your church to take steps to draw them back. There are some practical steps you can take in your church and in your communications with those who are missing to play a role in God bringing them back.

One of our greatest educational problems is a deep moral confusion. Increasingly, today's young people know little or nothing about the Western moral tradition.

This was recently demonstrated by "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno. Leno frequently does "man-on-the-street" interviews, and one night he collared some young people to ask them questions about the Bible. "Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?" he asked two college-age women. One replied, "Freedom of speech?" Mr. Leno said to the other, "Complete this sentence: Let he who is without sin...." Her response was, "have a good time?"

Mr. Leno then turned to a young man and asked, "Who, according to the Bible, was eaten by a whale?" The confident answer was, "Pinocchio."

As with many humorous anecdotes, the underlying reality is not funny at all. These young people are morally confused.

What is a millennial?

There are no precise dates when this generation starts and ends; most researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from 1978 to the early 2000s. I was born in 1978, so I just missed the Generation-X group and barely fit into the millennials. In fact, some definitions would keep my age group out of the millennials category, but I am around true millennials all the time by speaking to high school and college students, church planters and young families on a regular basis.

In my experience with this broad and large people group, I find there are extreme differences between 34-year-olds and 17-year-olds. However, there are some common views that come to the surface in most millennials no matter their age.

This is extremely important because, as children of God, we have firsthand experience of the incredible grace of Jesus. So, we should have a never-ending drive within us to love every age group the way that He loves us, and be students of every generation in order to be faithful missionaries with the Gospel to them.

With that in mind, here are 10 common views of millennials that may help us understand this large and diverse generation:

1. Millennials don’t promote ageism. People tend to think that millennials don’t want to have anything to do with the older generation. However, this generation is in desperate need for older generations to invest into them. This is largely a fatherless generation. They often seek out or are more open to discipleship or mentorship than we tend to believe. But they won’t know how to ask for it, so they ask you to “hang out.”

2. Millennials value experience over heritage. For the most part, millennials don’t value “heritage.” For example, a young person is not typically going to be Southern Baptist just because his parents were. If we can’t answer their “why” questions or we get defensive over their questions, we’ll lose them. Be ready to answer their honest questions with love, patience and kindness. Their experience with something or someone will dictate their views more than history will.

3. Millennials are fairly non-committal. Unless it’s an Apple product, millennials aren’t completely committed to anything. Previous generations may have valued commitment over enjoyment by making statements such as, “I’ve hated my job for over 40 years but I’m committed to it.” You’ll probably never hear a millennial say that, however, because they tend to value enjoyment over commitment. So they may say something like, “Why be miserable for 40 years? I may make less money and move around a lot, but I certainly don’t want to be miserable. Life is too short for that!” A great way to keep millennials engaged is by constantly communicating, illustrating and empowering participation in the vision and mission of the church. Remember, the younger generation is not the future of the church -- if they’ve been redeemed with the blood of Jesus, they’re the church right now. Let them have some ownership of the ministry and be patient with them when they mess up, possibly a lot.

4. Millennials mainly think about today. They often seem shortsighted. Think about it -- the defining moment of their lifetime involves the tragic events of 9/11. They saw the twin towers fall over and over again on a video screen while they were still children. It’s burned into their subconscious. Because there is so much focus on today, there will be very little preparation for the future by most millennials. This is also the reason for a lot of debt with this generation. “I need money today, so I’ll take out this loan and worry about how to pay for it tomorrow.” There is a great opportunity for the church to utilize the urgency of each day with this generation while also discipling them in the values of planning.

5. Millennials are more globally minded. Most millennials are up to date on world news and affairs. However, they may seem to be less patriotic to the USA than previous generations. They tend to view things from a global perspective while still valuing their country. It’s very possible that the Lord may accomplish the Great Commission through their interest in the nations.

6. Millennials know public shaming all too well. Public shaming once was a thing of the past but now has been revived with social media. Millennials have grown up afraid. They’ve felt the sting of cyber-bullying and may even have participated in viral trends. Their online persona is often as important to them as their real persona. Where we once said a photo was “A Kodak moment,” we now say, “That picture is Instagram-worthy.” This is an incredible opportunity for the church to teach this generation that a true identity found in Christ is better than a false identity created online.

7. Millennials see brokenness at an earlier age. They are exposed to more violence, graphic images and evil at an earlier age. Internet exposure, media coverage and broken homes are unfortunately the norm for far too many. Mass shootings are mainly a new phenomenon in their generation. This is a pornography-saturated generation -- the average age of first exposure is 11. The fastest-growing consumers of Internet pornography are girls 15–30; 90 percent of guys admit to interaction with Internet pornography and 60 percent of girls. This generation is looking for solutions at a much earlier time in their lives. They know they’re broken. Thank God for the Gospel because it is mighty to save millennials. Share it with them because they’re starving for it, whether they know it or not.

8. Millennials are cause-oriented. This generation wants to be a part of “doing” something. They’ll want more out of their church than sitting on a pew, listening to sermons, going to potluck dinners, while waiting on the Rapture Bus to swoop down to pick them all up. They are not scared to die young; however, they are terrified to die at a ripe old age while not having done anything significant with their lives in their own eyes. They are not typically impressed by a church’s size or budget. They’re more interested in being noticed relationally and in what the church is doing outside the walls of the building. Sometimes you’ll find a greater percentage of millennials in smaller churches or church plants because of the assumed accessibility of the leaders to cultivate a relationship.

9. Millennials are an ADHD generation. Surprising to some, they usually don’t mind long sermons. The communicators most popular among millennials commonly preach 45-50-minute sermons. However, millennials have about a 7-10-minute attention span at the most. In communicating, teaching, preaching, it is a must to break up the message several times with a story, illustration or practical application. Also, teaching has to be more than relaying content. This generation is visual. If they can’t see it or envision it, they have difficulty understanding it.

10. Millennials value doctrine. Mature Christ-following millennials deeply value doctrine, verse-by-verse preaching and missions. This generation seems to get weary of gimmicks and sleek presentations very quickly. The seeker-sensitive movement of their parents’ generation has grown to be “old hat” for the millennials who grew up in church. In preaching, the more raw, transparent and vulnerable the communicator is, the more millennials connect. There was a time when preachers were told not to use themselves in personal illustrations; however, this generation wants to hear those personal stories.

Millennials are a hopeful generation, and I personally am encouraged by this. My prophetic prediction about this generation is that God will use them to further the Great Commission more than any previous generation. Even if I’m wrong, millennials nevertheless are people made in the image of God who desperately need the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #1400]

"When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years,

having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of

most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of

anything but what God has revealed to me."

- John Wesley

- _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 52.

A young man entered business, failed, and spent seventeen years of

his life paying the bad debts of a worthless partner. He was in love

with a beautiful young woman to whom he became engaged, then she

died. He ran for the legislature of his state and was badly

defeated. He ran for Congress and again was badly defeated. He then

sought an appointment to a government office and was refused. He ran

for the United States Senate and was badly defeated. Then he ran for

vice-president of the United States, with the same result. One

failure after another was the story of his life, but he kept on

trying. Then the tide began to turn and he became one of the greatest

men of the United States. You guessed right, he was Abraham Lincoln.

- Paul E. Holdcraft, {Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations }( New

York: Abingdon-Cokesbury) 310

A high school girl went off to college. One of her teachers asked

her later if she was popular with the students. The girl said, "No."

"But why are you not popular?" the teacher asked. "Because I will not

pass around my examination papers to be copied," she replied. The

girl had to decide, "Shall I be popular, or shall I be right?"

One summer evening just after dark there came to the door of our

home a teenage girl who attended our congregation. She had walked

about two miles through the increasing darkness with her dog.

She explained that her father had forbidden her to attend our

church any more. So she wrote a note and left it in her bedroom. It

explained that she loved her parents but that she loved God more. She

wrote that she was leaving home so that she could attend church and

serve God as she chose to.

I knew that the police would soon be searching for her and probably

would start at the parsonage. So I advised her to return home and

trust God to work out the problem. She did, and he did. I've never

forgotten her great decision- willingness to forsake home for God.

One product of our sex-saturated society is the teenage mother.

Today in the U.S. forty percent of all brides are teenagers, and

teenage mothers bear fifteen percent of all children born.

Authorities estimate that one-third to one-half of all high school

girls who get married are pregnant when they reach the altar.

Special hazards of teenage mothers are: (1) Anemia and toxemia are

often developed during pregnancy; (2) their babies are more likely to

have birth defects; (3) teenagers do not usually make mature,

responsible parents (Dr. L. W. Sauer says he has found more evidence

of child injury by a parent among children of teenage parents than

among children in general).

- James C. Hefley, {A Dictionary of Illustrations}

Jonathan Edwards, who was a great and useful man, made five resolutions for himself in his youth, and lived by them faithfully. They are worth studying. Anyone who will adopt and follow them will greatly increase his usefulness. The resolutions are as follows:

“1. Resolved: To live with all might while I do live.

“2. Resolved: Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

“3. Resolved: Never to do anything which I should despise or think meanly of in another.

“4. Resolved: Never to do anything out of revenge.

“5. Resolved: Never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.”

—Ohio Sunday School Worker

My Source:

BEACON

Volume 28, #29, July 19, 1999

Author: Jack W. Carter

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WHAT DO YO DO FOR FUN?

by Jack W. Carter

Several years ago a very sweet Christian girl told me about an incident with a young man who had been asking ot date her.

He was not a member of the church and they just did not have anything in common. She had turned him down twice and now she had said "no" to attending a rock concert with him.

In mock exasperation the young man asked: "What do you do for fun? You don't dance, you don't drink alcohol, you don't attend rock concerts... WHAT do you do for fun?"

Her response was a classic message from all Christians with conviction. She told him: "For fun I get up in the morning without feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty about what I did the night before." The young man had nothing more to say.

It is true. That is fun! Come to think of it, there are many things in her life that are fun. She is married now to a fine Christian man. They have a little girl and are building an outstanding Christian home together.

She is having fun every day not having to live with the affliction of deep scars and regrets from her past. It is fun getting all prettied up each afternoon to receive a husband home from work, knowing that he will not be stopping off at a local bar for a few drinks with the fellows.

It is fun knowing that while he is away from her, his Christian conduct will not allow infidelity or even flirting. It is fun watching him hold his little girl on his lap with loving protecting arms. It is fun knowing that her little girl will never see her father in a drunken stupor or experimenting with drugs. It is fun living with the assurance that the home will be led by a spiritual leader who will guide each family member toward heaven.

The list of fun things for Christians is endless... WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?