Youth Sermon: Cast Your Cares

Introduction

Let's be real. Some of us are sick of hearing about how great things could be. We want to believe, but we're not sure how. If that's you, I'm glad you're here.

Remember these verses: Psalm 55:2: Give your worries to God and He'll take care of you. Matthew 6:25: Don't stress about your life, God's got your back. Matthew 11:28: If you're tired, come to Jesus and He'll give you rest. 1 Peter 5:7: Give all your worries to God because He cares about you. [Read any/all of these out loud]

He cares about you. He wants the best for you. Keep that in mind as we talk about giving our worries to Jesus.

He cares about you. He wants the best for you.

Giving Our Worries to Jesus

Imagine you're carrying a backpack. Every worry, every stress, every problem is a rock in that backpack. The more you worry, the heavier it gets. Now, imagine Jesus is standing next to you, ready to take that backpack. Would you give it to Him?

First, we need to be humble. That means admitting we don't have it all figured out, knowing the difference between being confident and being cocky, treating others well, owning up to our mistakes, understanding that success isn't everything, and being thankful for what we have.

Once we're humble, we can give our worries to Jesus. Like Mary in the Bible, who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him, we need to make time for Jesus. Pray, read the Bible, tell Him what's stressing you out. Any time spent with Jesus is time well spent.

Trusting God

Trust can be tough. It's hard to trust someone, even God. But not trusting just makes things harder. We need to trust that God has a plan for us. Yeah, life can be tough, but God can use even the bad stuff for good.

This week, try this: Every time you feel stressed or worried, imagine that worry as a rock in your backpack. Then, imagine giving that rock to Jesus. See how much lighter you feel.

Think about it: If God didn't care about us, would He have sent Jesus to die for us? If Jesus didn't care, would He have given up His life for us? Peter, who hung out with Jesus, tells us to give our worries to Him because He cares about us.

So, ditch the doubts. Give your worries to Jesus and trust Him with your life.

Prayer

Hey God, I've been trying to run my own life and it's not working out so well. Thanks for saying it's okay to give you my worries. Help me to let go of the stuff I'm stressing about and ask for your help. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Small Group Breakout Questions

1. What is one worry you struggle to give to Jesus?

2. Why is it hard to trust Jesus with our worries?

3. How can we practice humility in our daily lives?

4. What does it mean to you that Jesus cares for you?

5. How can we remind ourselves to give our worries to Jesus?

Get the Full Youth Group Plan

• Icebreaker: Baggage Drop
• Group Activity: Trust Fall
• Youth Challenge: Worry-Free Week