Youth Sermon: Whose Image is This?

Introduction

You know how Jesus was a pretty cool teacher, right? People were always asking Him questions, but some of them had sneaky plans. They wanted to trap Him and get Him out of the picture. In our story today, some religious big shots tried to trap Jesus by asking about paying taxes. But Jesus, being the smart guy He is, answered in a way that didn't cause more drama. He showed us how to balance being followers of Him and doing our civic duties.

Imagine you're holding a coin. On one side, it's got the face of a famous person, maybe a president or a queen. That's like the world's image. On the other side, it's blank. That's like God's image. We're all like this coin, living in the world but also bearing God's image.

He showed us how to balance being followers of Him and doing our civic duties.

Identity and Image

The religious leaders wanted to trap Jesus, but they also knew He was a straight shooter. They knew He didn't care about what people thought or how things looked. But they still tried to bring Him down because they cared more about their image and status than following Jesus. Are there things in our lives that we're holding onto too tightly, stopping us from fully giving ourselves to Jesus?

Our identity is a mix of who we think we are and how others see us. Jesus knew He was God's Son, but His enemies knew it too. They tried to trap Him because they were scared of losing their power. But if we're with Jesus, we're God's kids. Our real identity is found in Him.

Paying Taxes and Honoring God

Jesus was asked about paying taxes, and He gave a smart answer. He said that earthly authorities have the right to collect taxes. We should respect and support our government unless it goes against God's rules. But we also need to give to God what is His. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices, worshiping Him with our lives.

Our first loyalty is to God. We need to balance our earthly stuff with honoring God. We do this by refreshing our minds with the Bible and hanging out with other believers. We need each other's encouragement and support as we figure out how to live in the world but not be totally of the world.

Reflecting Jesus in Our Lives

As God's image bearers, we should reflect Jesus in our everyday lives. Let's think about how we can tweak our routines to look more like Him. This includes how we treat others, our time with family, and our commitment to reading the Bible daily. By doing so, we can confidently say, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.'

Let's pray together. Hey God, help us to live in this world without being totally consumed by it. Give us the guts to live like you every day. Help us to do our earthly stuff without forgetting our heavenly stuff. Amen.

Small Group Breakout Questions

1. What are some earthly responsibilities that you find hard to balance with your heavenly ones?

2. How can you reflect Jesus more in your daily life?

3. What does it mean to you to be an image bearer of God?

4. How can you support and encourage each other in living in the world but not of the world?

Get the Full Youth Group Plan

• Icebreaker: Two Sides of a Coin
• Group Activity: Identity Collage
• Youth Challenge: Reflecting Jesus Challenge