Steven Furtick - The YAAAS Test (10/30/2018)
In this powerful message to youth at Elevation Church's Student Takeover, Pastor Steven Furtick reveals God's favorite word is "yes"—He loves saying yes to His promises and wants our yes in return. Drawing from Moses' calling in Exodus 4, the sermon challenges young people to pass the "yes test": accept who God made them, make themselves available using what they have, and act in obedience, declaring yes to God in their youth for a transformed life.
God's Favorite Word: Yes
I told them this year, I want to start it off. I felt like that you would be the freshest at this point, and well, I started the church, so I want to start the takeover, too. And welcome to you. Help me for a moment welcome your parents. We sent your parents a link, and many of them are watching online. We promise we're going to cast all of the demons out of your children before we send them back, but they're going to be sleep-deprived, and so when we send them back to you, they will not even seem saved, but thank you.
I was watching a little bit of the high school event last night. Hold on now. You did not look like you were having a Bible study. Not at all. Not at all. I love this. I kind of wish I could get to know all of you personally. I love you! You love me? Well, see, when I get to know people, when I'm trying to get to know people, you have different ways that I try to get to know them. And one of the ways that I use, I try to say, I try to find out what your favorite things are, and I do this all the time.
I think it's frustrating to people, because it puts a lot of pressure when you say, like, what's your very favorite, like, what's your favorite song? In fact, turn the person next to you and tell them your favorite song. How many of you, the person next to you said a song that you hate, or a style of music that you don't enjoy? Did anybody say, some people will say, oh, I don't like music very much. I'm just not a very musical person. You miserable human being.
And if you said mask off, you're definitely going straight to hell. You need to get to the altar. That song sucks. No, I'm sorry. It sucks. Tell the person next to you your favorite athlete. Favorite athlete. Stop. Favorite emoji. Favorite church-appropriate emoji. All right. All right, stop. My least, I don't know my favorite, I don't know my favorite emoji. My least favorite emoji is this. It feels insulting. It feels patronizing. Good job, buddy. I'm not seven. I want to see this from you. I fire staff members who send me this emoji. It's insulting. It's insulting. Use your words. You know? Like we're already communicating with our thumbs. Can we no longer even be bothered to use consonants and vowels? Sorry, I sound like an angry old man. I don't mean to. I'm really happy to be here.
Discovering God's Favorite Word
So I was thinking about favorites. Favorite. Favorite. One guy was asking me last week. I was speaking in Texas. And he said, Woo, Texas! Woo, Texas! Indeed. Is that your favorite state? Texas? Yeah, it's where you live. That's good. Our barbecue is better. Our barbecue is better. Don't even start anything about Texas barbecue up here in North Carolina. Okay? Okay.
This guy asked me in Texas last week, What's your favorite Bible character that you want to meet when you get to heaven? And I changed it like 20 times. I was like, Jacob, no Peter, no Moses. And I kind of feel like that. Lately, I've been using Moses in the Bible to try to understand some things about my own calling. Not that I'm anything close to Moses. I just... I think it's cool how, if you read in Exodus chapter 3 and 4, you'll see a story of a man who was struggling with what God had given him to do, and struggling with who he was.
And you kind of get invited into that struggle. Let me read you something for a moment from Exodus chapter 4. And just relax, okay? Tonight, you don't even have to... I want you to take notes. My note sheet is on page 16 of your booklet, in case you're wondering. The one with the picture of the good-looking guy. There's other speakers in there, but... Yeah, that's me right there. At least Holly says I'm the best-looking. Yeah, right there, page 16. It says there... It says that my interest... What does it say? Fashion. Loves fashion. I hate fashion. I hate shopping. Who put that in here? I hate the store. Okay, but anyway, that's where you take your notes.
The passage I want to read to you is from Exodus chapter 4. And what's happening is, Moses is getting to know God. He's getting to know a God that has known him all along, but this is his first real encounter with God on a personal level, where he is going to discover the assignment God has given him. And I've kind of been praying that for many of you. I know that some of you know church and you know Bible stories, but I'm praying that you could mark this time as the point in time, the encounter where you really met God in a significant way. That you would really begin to know him in a deeper way over these next few days, wherever you came in.
Moses' Struggle and God's Yes
So, just look at this real quick. And I'm not going to preach really long tonight. You've got a lot of things to look forward to, and I don't want to take all of the attention span away. But give me a minute. Real quick, 10 verses. Exodus 4, 10 through 20. You've got some great speakers coming your way over the next few days. You've got Robert Madu and Mikan Carter. We picked some people. You may not have heard them before, but we picked some people that we knew that God would use to speak to you in a powerful way. Okay, look at this. I'm speaking tonight, though. All right, here we go.
And by the way, I've been away for a little while. The students who go to church here, I've been out of the pulpit for a little while. So, just being back right now, it feels kind of good. I took a couple of weeks off. Feel good. Feel strong. Look at this. Moses said to the Lord, Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.
And the Lord said to him, Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now, go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. But Moses said, Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else. And then the Lord's anger burned against Moses. And he said, What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know he can speak well. He's already on his way to meet you and he will be glad to see you.
You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth. I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
The Yes Test: Three Challenges
In case you missed all of that, basically, God is trying to convince Moses of his calling. So, so, so, so here's what I was thinking. I was thinking that the Bible says in John chapter one that in the beginning was a word and the word was with God and the word was God. And so the Bible doesn't say that God was an emoji. And so God is the word. He is the logos. And so God likes words.
I was wondering, what is God's favorite word? If he is the word and don't say Jesus. It's not a word. That's a name. What is God's favorite word? Because that's the question I like to ask when I get to know people. Now, growing up, I thought maybe God's favorite word was don't. Because it seemed like, and I know this is a contraction. It's technically two words, but shut up. This is not English class. This is student takeover. This is us.
And I thought maybe his favorite word was don't or stop. It seemed like everything that I heard about God was what was off limits. And what would be God's favorite word? I never preached on this before. I never really thought about it. But I was praying for a message for you that would be special. And something so simple that you would have no choice but to either decide to apply it or to ignore it.
And I felt like God spoke to me. And I feel like he told me what his favorite word is. Would you like to know? Because we all have favorites. And if I knew your favorite, like I have three kids. You want to know which one is my favorite? Obviously, it's Elijah because he's the only one here. Where's my son, by the way? Where is he? Huh? Technically, technically your sister is smarter and better looking, but you're my favorite tonight. No, I'm kidding about that kind of.
God. God. God. Oh. Would you like to know my favorite campus? Elevation Church campus? I wouldn't do that. Did I start something? Let me see. Oh, God. I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I'll tell you. Shh. Shh. I'll tell you. I'll tell you. Shh. I got to get quiet. I'm not going to tell you. You don't get quiet. I'll tell you next year. Listen. Listen. That's not a good question. What is God's favorite word?
And I was studying about Moses and how God is telling Moses, I want to use you to set my people free. And all God wants from Moses... Moses gives them a lot of excuses. Moses gives them a lot of logic. Moses even starts talking about his deficiencies. And all God wants is to hear his favorite word. His favorite word is yes.
Yes in Christ: God's Promises Are Yes
Just in case you want to know, God's favorite word. He loves the word. Yes. Prove it, Pastor Steven, you say to me. Well, Paul was talking about this. He was a New Testament missionary. He was taking the gospel to new people. And God was sending him with the message of the good news of Jesus Christ. He said something. I believe this is in 2 Corinthians. If you want to put this on the screen for me.
He said, as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not yes and no. Because his plans were changing and he was trying to talk to the church about what was going on. He said, for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, and Silas, and Timothy, and Furtick. He didn't put me in there, but I put myself in there. Listen. It was not yes and no, but in him it has always been yes.
Next verse. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ. Through him the amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. Everybody say yes. God loves to say yes to his children. Don't you wish your parents were more like that, by the way? How many of you would like for your parents to be more like God? Because apparently God is just stuck in the yes position. He just loves to bless you.
God, will you help me? Yes. God, will you be there for me? Yes. God, will you meet my needs? Yes. God, will you be my friend? Yes. God, will you forgive me? Yes. God, will you wash my past away? Yes. God, will you speak to me tonight? Yes. God, will you show me what to do? Yes. God, will you give me wisdom? Yes. God loves to say yes. Yes. Are you grateful? He loves to say yes.
And watch this. I found out something. And this is for all of you who feel like what God is doing in your life right now isn't what you want him to do. Even when he says no now, he's making a better yes for what's next in your life. He's the God of yes. Only, um... That's not how you spell it. Because... God's actual favorite word. One, two, three... Not a little, you know... But God is the God of. Yes.
Oh, I feel like preaching student takeover. See, because... Some of y'all won't get this joke. God is not scared to buy a vow. So God is the God... That's old school. God is the God of. Yes. Yes. Yes. Come on. Are y'all with me over here in this left center section of the Ballantyne building? Let me hear you say... What's his favorite word? Yes.
If the person next to you looks like they need some help with their pronunciation, look at him, give him a little lesson. Tell him it's... Yes. Yes. Yes. I wonder... What's up with... What's up with all those A's? I didn't realize this, but... Those are my points to preach to you tonight. Because it's easy to say... Say yes or y'all in an atmosphere like this. But what we all know... Is that your yes will be tested when you leave.
The Yes Test: Three Questions
So God is going to speak. And hopefully you will respond over these next 48 hours with a yes or with a y'all. But my message tonight is to prepare you not just to say yes, but to pass the yes test. The yes test. The yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Let's do this, because I see three things that will be tested. Three tests. Really, we're watching Moses have a conversation with God, but it's really a test. It's a test to see if he will say yes. Yes.
What you say yes to while you are young will have so much to do with what you are left with later. You know how old I was when I said yes to God to preach? I would tell you that it was around age 16. Any 16-year-olds? I'm not saying God's going to call you to preach this week. In some ways, I think that we don't necessarily need more preachers who stand behind pulpits, but we need people who will go out in different places in the world and make a difference for God.
But I was telling Holly the other day, I said, God tricked me into saying yes to being a preacher before I knew what came along with the package. God tricked me in this thing that I'm doing right now. I love it. I thank God for it. I'm not complaining. But if I knew everything that came along with it, I probably…. Maybe I would have said yes, maybe not. But while I love to preach to you, don't take this offensively, you are too stupid like I was to know any better right now, and God wants you to say yes while you're young. That's the best time to say yes.
Now, by the time God speaks to Moses, he's 80. So he's at a disadvantage because he's already murdered somebody. He's been tending sheep for 40 years for his father-in-law, Jethro. Now he's out here living with his mistakes. Now he's out here after decades of doing one thing, and God appears to him and says, I'm going to bring my people out of captivity, and I've chosen and called you to do it. And Moses says, I'm not so sure. It's the yes test. It's the yes test.
And the first question you have to answer, write these down, especially group leaders, because I want you to spend your group time tonight talking over these three specific tests of yes. Give me the first question. Will I be what God made me? Will I be... Come out. I have some friends to help me. This is the acceptance test. This is the acceptance test. Everybody say yes. Will I be what God has made me?
Test 1: Acceptance – Will I Be What God Made Me?
Now what that means is, not only am I going to have to accept Christ, but I'm going to have to accept myself. And on the surface, this sounds silly. I'm going to be honest with you. I almost didn't want to preach this point, because on one hand, how could you be anything other than what God made you? Well, you really can't, but you can waste your whole life trying. You can spend your whole life trying to be something that God didn't intend for you to be.
Or to try to send a text from here. You're looking at me like I've lost my mind, but have you lost yours when you tried to be something that you weren't designed to be? Here's what I want to say. God brought you into this environment not only to accept who he is, because that was the first thing. Moses said, Who are you? And God said, I am. And Moses said, Hold on. God, you're breaking up. The signal is kind of bad over here in the bush. I'm out here in the country right now. I can't hear you. God, what you said, you said, I am. And God said, Yeah, I am. And Moses said, Well, what's the rest of it? And God said, Whatever you need, I am.
Whatever you need me to be, I am. If you didn't have a father to raise you, I'll be your father. If you don't have friends to comfort you, I'll be your friend. If you don't have a path to guide you, I'll direct you. If you trust in me, I am. Somebody say yes. Say yes. It seems to me, listen, it seems to me that some of us have an easier time accepting who God is than who we are, but God spoke something to me.
One time I was having a hard time with my own acceptance, because up here on the stage, I'll show you what I want to show you, but I have to go home with the rest of it. I was wishing some things were different about me. I don't know what you wish was different about you. In Moses' case, he's like, God, if you want me to speak to Pharaoh, who's the most powerful man in the world, I need to be a good talker. Apparently, Moses was expecting that if God was speaking to him and God wanted him to speak on God's behalf, God would give him a better vocabulary and show him the words to speak.
But while God was speaking to him, nothing was changing about Moses. So now Moses knows who God is. He's all-sufficient, but he also knows who he is in all of his dysfunction. And Moses can't say yes. He can say yes to the great I Am, but he can't say yes. So God spoke something to me one time. I was feeling the same way. You ever felt this way? Raise your hand. Can we make this a real place over the next 48 hours? How many of you have something about yourself that you have a hard time accepting?
And here's what you do. When you have a hard time accepting something about yourself, you project something about yourself. It's not really true about you, but you hide behind profiles, and you filter your life to look a certain way, and you learn a certain language, and you can fit in in certain environments. But when people love you, they don't really love you. They love the version. Until you come before the great I Am and say, God, just like you made me, here I am. I will go. Somebody shout yes.
Until you can say yes. Yes, I'm broken. Yes, I come from a divorced home. Yes, I struggle with body image issues, and yes, I wish I maybe looked more like her. But God, I'll be who you made me. Here's what God said to me. He said, You keep doubting yourself, and you think that's humility. It's not. He said, To doubt the product is to insult the manufacturer. When you don't accept what I made, you reject the one who made it.
Did not I give you your mouth and your nose and your big ears? I don't have big ears, but I'm just putting in things that people might deal with, you know? God, I have so much stuff about myself I would have made different. I wish it could be like Build-A-Bear. I could pick out all my features and pick out all my strengths and pick out my temperament.
God shows up to Moses, and he knows that the greatest test will often not be for us to accept his strength, but to accept our weakness. And to find out that God said yes over your life. Every promise he made was already yes before you ever learned the word no. So for every no that you know about yourself, God has a better yes.
I want you to learn how to say yes to who God made you to be. God, I can't talk, but I'm a good listener. God, I don't feel pretty, but you know what? I think I'm going to act like I'm kind of beautiful. Somebody say yes. Look at your neighbor and say yes. Yes. Yes. I am. I am. That's God's name. I am. I am. And guess what? If you're his kid, that means you are. Somebody say yes. You are. Say it again. Yes. You are. Say it again. You are forgiven. You are loved. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are created with a purpose in mind. You are everything God needs you to be for everything he's called you to do.
Come on, touch three people. Tell them I'm going to be what God made me to be. I'm the best me God ever made. I got to be me. And yes, that means I'm a little different. And yes, that means some people might not get me. And yes, I'm one of those Christians. I'm one of those Holy Ghost-filled Christians. Yes, I'm a church kid. Yes, I'm a pure girl. Yes. Somebody shout yes.
We're going to have some fun this week. Somebody shout yes. Yes. So when they say this at school, they say, you seem different. Just like I'm saying, yes. That's the whole point. Oh yeah. When they say, well, you're not perfect. Look at them say, yes. Because now you finally see that God never asked for my perfection. He only wants my yes.
So, this is the first test of yes, is acceptance. Acceptance. Acceptance of how God made you. Acceptance of your limitations. You're not going to be in the NBA, bro. You're 5'6". It's your senior year. Just get you a Curry Jersey and cheer him on. Because you're not... You're going to be on the couch. It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. I'm different. God's got something for me.
Test 2: Availability – Will I Use What He Gave Me?
Which comes to my second question. You ready for my second one? Say yes. You didn't say it right. Say yes. Yes. Hey, when the preachers come up this week, when they come up, because they're not here right now, when they come up, like tomorrow night, the other preachers, when they start preaching, I want y'all to shout them down and say, yes. When your parents text you, are you having a good time at student takeover? I want you to text them. I want you to use every A in your iPhone, all caps. Thumbs up emojis. Tell them, yes.
Yes. God wants a big yes. You can't kind of follow Christ. Follow me, I'll make you fishers. God wants a... Yes, God. Yes. Are you ready to worship him? Second test. The second test is availability. And watch this. This is not, will I be what he made me? This is, will I use what he gave me? Come on now. Come on now. Yeah, yeah. Right here. Right here.
Because this test, this is that thing where they say, it's not your ability, but your availability that determines how God will use you. And I think this is symbolic that God tells Moses, we didn't read this part. Honestly, I could preach a whole series on this one little story, because God asked Moses, what's that in your hand? Which confused Moses, because he was holding a Shepherd's staff, and God was talking to him about overthrowing a kingdom and leading millions of people.
So Moses looks around. Maybe he waits for something to appear that wasn't there. Nothing comes. So now he's having to accept who he is and use what he has. This staff, God tells him to throw it on the ground, so he does, because you've got to drop stuff that God says to drop. Even if it's habits, even if it's relationships, even if it's attitudes, God is going to call you to drop some stuff this week.
Then he tells him to pick it back up, and when he picked it again, it was a snake, but it only could become something different when he reached for it. So, I told you I was 16 when God told me to start this church. I went to a college, a little school, and they asked me to travel on a team, and we were going to go and preach in little towns all across the state of South Carolina. South Carolina.
So, there was this girl that I had a crush on named Holly Boitnot. Now, you've got to remember this, those of you who want to get married one day. You've got to use whatever you have available. You've got to use all available resources, and so what I did, I put her on my ministry team because I was like, I can pray her into my kingdom, and we'd travel all around, and we didn't have student takeovers like this, okay? You guys are pretty freaking spoiled. We didn't have people coming down out the ceilings and stuff. If stuff was coming out of the ceiling, it was an accident because the roof was caving in because of the rain.
This guy, church, we were going into. It was none of this, and certainly no fire coming out of the thing or anything like that. By the way, thank God for our amazing teams working hard to present this thing, make it creative. All right. All right. Be quiet. All right. Traveling around everything. At the end of all of that, I got down, and let me ask you a question. As she sits on the front row and as we sit here tonight, our own son and many of you, and we get the opportunity to watch you worship God, and to dream about what your life might be.
Some of you are going to run companies. You're going to do it in a way with integrity. Some of you are going to maybe not make a lot of money, but maybe you'll go into an industry. Make sure you be a coach or teacher. Some of you might be billionaires. And tithe to Elevation Church for the glory of God. This is a public service announcement. Somebody say yes.
You never know what your yes might start. But I had to say yes to God, and I could not wait for some great opportunity. God wants your yes in your youth. I'll prove it to you from the Bible. There are a whole bunch of people standing around one day, and this giant named Goliath from the enemy camp comes up. All of them are waiting for God to do something to deliver them from the Philistines. One 17-year-old boy walks up on the scene, and they ask the question, will anybody fight this giant? God. And one boy said yes.
Because he said yes, the whole nation was delivered. Some of you are going to defy racism in your school in the next school year by the power of your yes. I can't do that from the pulpit. You have to do it with your yes, and you have to do it when all you have is a slingshot. And it's like, I'm going to change racism in my school? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes, you are! Yes, you can! Hall said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have the God of yes living on the inside of me.
Why can't I start a Bible study in my public school and grow it to 300 students? Yes! Get out of my way, Devil! You've told me no long enough. I've got a bigger yes! It starts with a yes, just a simple yes, just a simple yes. And finally, when I knelt down at the fountains at Furman University and said, will you marry me? Guess what Holly said? Yes! And here we are because of a yes.
Think about that. Human beings are in the earth because of a yes. Because Chunks and Amy Corbett said, we'll start the church with you. Now, he almost said no because sometimes you almost miss it. And he was making money and I was telling him, come work on a church staff with me for free. He had a good job. God was calling him. And I said, I want to do this. I want to start it. I don't know how it's going to work. If I ever be able to pay you or anything like that, because we didn't have all this back then. It was nothing.
And he called me. I said, I got so frustrated with him. I told Holly, I said, I'm going to find somebody else because I wanted him to do the business part of the church. This is the bald guy right over there. Wave that up, Chunks. That's who that is. I said, hey, hey, hey, hey. This is back when he had hair. It was already going back about to right here, but he was hanging on to it back then. I said, Chunks, I told Holly, I'm going to find somebody else. She said, give him another chance. And I said, okay.
And I told him, I said, I need to know by noon on such and such date. If y'all want to change the lighting back, it's fine. Such and such a date. And I told him like noon on such and such a date, 1150, my phone rings. And he said, yes. And see, all of you, John Bishop, same thing. Yes. You are all the offspring of somebody's yes.
So, I'm looking out here tonight, and I know you're not Moses, and I know you're not Chunks, and I know you're not Holly, and you're you. But what could your yes set off in the world? It starts with yes. Here's the thing. You have to say yes before you know the details. You have to say yes before you feel confident. Here's what God wants to hear from you. It's his favorite word. He wants to hear yes.
And you know, it's not only his favorite word. He likes it in a certain order. He likes yes before the question is asked. Because most of the time we want to, you know, here's the question. Yes. God's like, yes. Now what's the question? Do you trust me enough on this Wednesday night in South Charlotte, North Carolina? Yes. At a young age, to say yes in your youth. To say, here I am. Little old me. Here I am. The answer is yes.
If you will say it, I promise you… And I'm telling you what I've lived out, not what I studied in a book or what I heard somewhere or what I thought of one time. This is what I've experienced. You can't out-yes God. I'm telling you, when you say yes to God, God says yes to his promises, yes to joy, yes to peace. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I promise you nobody has ever truly said yes to God and lived to regret it.
And the yes that you say today will determine the life you live tomorrow. I've seen a lot of people at this age have their lives really, really… I don't want to say ruined because God is a redeemer, but really off path because of a yes. Yes, who you say yes to. Who you say yes to. Yes, I'll go. Yes, I'll have sex with you. You know, there's a lot of… Oh, you thought I was just going to work around the real issues? Because it's not just the yes that we say to God that determines the path of our life.
And what happens at this age is you say yes to a little thing. It's just trying drugs. You say yes to a little thing and your parents are like, Nah, I don't know about them. And you're like, Yeah, but I like them. And you say yes to the wrong people and you start yielding to things. And then one day you wake up and you're like, I don't even like this. I don't even want to live like this. And it all started with a little yes.
But you know what? The devil is a liar. I declare over your life. You are going to say yes to God. No to the world. No to the flesh. Come on. How many came to student takeover? Because I'm saying yes to God. So, somebody say yes. Shout it out. Y'all sound tired. Say yes. Say yes. Last test.
Test 3: Action – Will I Do What He Tells Me?
The last test. Because guess what? Moses never says yes to God in this passage. Because it's not what you say. You can say yes all you want. But this test, this yes test, is a test of action. Will I do? Come on up. Will I do what he tells me? Will I do what he tells me?
The Bible says that he went back to Egypt and he took his staff with him. God is not just looking for people tonight who will say something, but people who will do something. We'll do something. You talked about it. We don't just give God a shout out. That's not what we mean by saying yes to God. I came here tonight on the first week because I want you to understand that yes is not just what you say with your lips. Yes is a lifestyle.
It means when someone hurts me, I've already decided, yes, I will forgive. Somebody say yes. That's all God ever wants from you is your yes. That's all it takes for you to be saved and for you to know God is not to get your life together, but to say yes. Just a yes. That's all God wants from anybody in this room tonight, from the churchiest to the worldliest. God is just looking for a yes.
So, what God speaks to you, and when your group leaders are spending time with you unpacking this through the week, and as God moves in your life over these days and even beyond, I want you to remember that it is not just hearing God's word and responding to it, because I appreciate how responsive you've been tonight. I mean, look at this. This is unusual for students to be this engaged with God's word. I'm just going to tell you, this is a great atmosphere. I really appreciate that, but how well you listen is not the proof of the success. It's what you live out.
So, we're going to be challenging you. We're going to be challenging you to say yes in your youth. All God wants. All he has ever wanted is your yes. I don't know how I could put it any simpler. All God ever wanted is your yes. That's all he wants. That's all he wants. God brought you here for yes.
And so, will I be what he made me, even if it seems strange to my friends? Will I be who he says I am? Somebody say, I am. Will I use what he has given me? Say, I will. There it is. That's it. Say, yes, I am. Say, yes, I will. I will. That's all God wants. That's all God wants. He wants you to align your life with what he's spoken over you, because other people may try to label you, but when they tell you what you're not, and when you have all these thoughts inside yourself of what you're not, your response is simple.
I am a child of God. I am the righteousness of God. Come on, I need you to start getting an attitude about this stuff, because I see the world trying to tell you a bunch of other stuff that you are, and I think it's a lie, and I think it's just about time that some youth rose up and got in the rhythm of yes. Somebody say yes. Yes.
I am. Say yes. Yes. I can. Say yes. I am. Say yes. Yes. I can. Yes. I am. Yes. I can. Yes. I am. Yes. Yes. Somebody shout yes! Yes, God! I'm not ashamed to say yes to the one who said yes to me. Everyone stand there. Shout yes. All week long. That's the theme. This is the generation of yes.
I'll be who you made me. I'll use what you gave me. I'll do what you tell me. Somebody say yes. Yes. Just that simple. Yeah, but you can't do it. You're just a little boy. Yes, I can. Yes. Feels good to say yes, doesn't it? God says, will you let me challenge you in some of those places of your life that you've been hiding from me? Yeah. Yes.
Will you open up this week with your group leader and not waste a bunch of time sitting around trying to play cool and talking about something stupid and then they're looking like you can't talk? Yes. Get in the rhythm of saying yes to God. He says yes, you say yes. He says yes. He says you are, you say, I am. He says you are, are you say, I am. Say yes. I am. I am. Yes. I can. I can. You see the rhythm? Yes. That's the... Yes.
Wouldn't it be cool if you said yes to God in your youth and you didn't have to waste a lot of years living for other stuff? We've been calling you East students for years now. We're going to change that tonight. I want you to get in the rhythm. Somebody shout yes. I want you to get in the rhythm of saying yes in your youth.
So from now on, when I call you, I'm calling you Elevation Youth, youth. But when you hear youth, I want you to hear yes. Yes, while I'm young. Yes. Yes. You know what else we're going to do? Everybody say what? We're going to start taking over one Sunday night a month in the church. It's going to be called Elevation Youth, but it's going to be called Rhythm Nights. Because saying yes to God cannot just be an event. It has to become a rhythm.
And so while the world is out there telling you what you can't do can't be, I want you to hear a better yes. Here's the invitation tonight. Are you excited? Do you feel God's presence in this place already? You're sitting around some people sometimes, you know, sometimes people try to distract you and you're trying to pay attention to the message. Tell them no so you can tell God yes. You don't, you don't have to even, no, I can't do that right now. I can't be silly right now. I'm focused on God.
And in this moment, there's somebody that God is calling right here on the first night to really give your life to him. You've never done that. You've heard of Moses, Bible stories, gone to church. This is not about joining our church. This is about belonging to God. God. And so that process does not begin when you start behaving better. The process starts when you believe. That's all. That's all God ever wanted was a yes.
Yes, I believe. Yes, you can have my life. Yes, I trust you. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. In other words, if you say yes to what he's done, he's already said yes. To forgive you for everything that you've done, to go with you into your future.
Bow your head. Close your eyes. This is a moment for at least 100 people to say yes to God. I'm going to be honest with you. This moment for me when I was 16 changed everything. It was the biggest yes of my life. I want to pray with you now. You say, you know, that's me that you're talking about. I want to know God personally in my life, turn from my way, and be his follower and receive his grace, and accept what he's already done.
If that's you, I want you to pray with me right now. I'm going to pray out loud as an Elevation youth family. We're going to pray together for those who are coming to God. So let's all pray this out loud, heads bowed, eyes closed, for the benefit of those who are either coming to God for the first time or maybe coming back to God. Pray with me.
Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world, and tonight I say yes to his plan for my life. I believe he died to forgive my sin and Rose again to give me life, and tonight you have my yes. Here's my life. I will follow you from now on.
On the count of three, if you just prayed that, I want you to shoot your hand in the air and say yes, and I want you to do it boldly. A big strong yes to God tonight. Some are already raising their hands. That's fine. On the count of three, you do it. One, two, three. Shoot them up. Oh yeah. That's the best yes you could ever say.
Do you believe in the presence of God to set you free? Come on, say yes. Do you love him? Do you want to know? Say yes. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am.