Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Experience the life-changing messages from the Church of God’s annual Winterfest youth gathering. These are the sermons, moments, and voices that have shaped generations of young believers — now available anytime, anywhere.
We have to know who we are young people, not what the world says about our life experiences have told us.
We have to know what he says. We have to know who we are.
And so today I've got one verse we're going to kick off with.
We're going to pray. We're going to ask God to move in this house.
He's already here. He sees every single one of you and he's already in this place.
We're going to read Genesis chapter 1 verse 27.
And it says this, so God created mankind in his own image.
Say his own image.
In the image of God, he created them.
Male and female, he created them.
Today, with the Lord's help, I want to preach a message called Mirrors.
Mirrors, let's pray together.
Close your eyes and maybe touch the shoulder of the person next to you.
And let's pray and let's invite God to speak to our hearts today.
Father I just thank you for this opportunity to speak to a generation
God I ask that it would be your words and not mine
That I would step out of the way and that you would do whatever you want to do in this house today
You know every heart, you know every life
So God we ask you to come and move
We make room for you now in this moment
We focus on your word today
In Jesus name
Come on say a big amen as you're seated
Amen, amen.
How many of you looked in the mirror today?
Some of y'all are like, nope, I didn't even think about it.
You know, we could tell.
We could totally tell.
In fact, you know, if you're a good youth pastor in the room, you took these cell phones from the kids
or you're like smacking them when they get them out.
But actually, if you have your cell phone, I just want you to pull this out.
Pull it out.
You were going to do it anyway.
You were going to do it anyway.
Open up your camera and flip it into selfie mode, okay?
Flip it into selfie mode.
Yep, don't take a picture of yourself.
Just look at yourself.
Flip it into selfie mode.
Some of y'all are like, ooh, I should have looked in the mirror before I left the hotel.
This is the most used mirror of your generation.
This right here is the most used mirror of your generation.
some of you have let this screen determine your value.
And today, today we're going to shift what God says about your value.
But what's interesting, now put your cell phone up, unless you're taking notes.
Now you can take notes, but if your youth pastor wants those cell phones back,
you need to hand them back in.
You know what I'm saying?
I don't want to get you in trouble.
Because when I was a youth pastor, I totally took cell phones.
Yeah, totally did.
Wasn't cool at all.
But what's interesting about a mirror is that when you look into a mirror,
you're actually not seeing yourself.
You're seeing a reflection of yourself.
And reflections can be accurate or they can be inaccurate.
You see, the camera has filters, and all of you know about those filters.
But can I tell you that culture also has filters?
And we live in a filter-obsessed society.
In fact, filters don't actually change reality.
They only change our perception.
Let me show you what I'm talking about here.
They're going to put up a picture of somebody you might know.
And it's filtered and unfiltered.
If they have it, I'll let them put it up.
If not, we'll move on.
There's filtered and there's, oh, look at that.
Look at that.
Some of y'all thought he's perfect
No, that's just the filter
Some of y'all thought she's perfect
Everything she has, I want that
Nope, that's just the filter
Somebody say it's just the filter
Right?
Come on
Some of y'all got filtered so heavy on your social media
We couldn't tell if that was you when we met you
that is crazy crazy filters crazy filters but you see the mirror is the same it really never
changes who you are it only changes what you believe about what you see and aside from perfect
filters some mirrors are are really kind to us good lighting we got to get the good angle we got
to we have all the perfect setting but then there's those bad mirrors like the like the gas station
mirror that you stopped at aside from Bucky's the gas station bathroom or
they'll have you feeling all kinds of bad about yourself there's bad mirrors
there's bad lighting but the mirror truly never changes who you are it only
changes what you believe about what you see and here's the thing young people we
don't just have physical mirrors we have comparison mirrors and we have
follower count mirrors and we have breakup mirrors and we have group chat
mirrors and we have unanswered text message mirrors and eventually we stop
asking the question what does God say about me and we start asking how do I
measure up this is a rhetorical question but how many of you stopped looking in
mirrors because of how you felt about yourself. Don't raise your hand. I want to tell you something,
young people. Long before culture had a mirror, before comparison had a voice, before rejection
ever left a mark on you.
God looked at you and he spoke identity.
Genesis 127, that verse is God's mirror for you.
And if God's mirror is true,
then every other mirror that contradicts it
has been lying to us.
The question isn't do you have value?
The question is which mirror are you going to use to decide that value?
Which mirror are you going to use today to decide that value?
So today we're going to pick up the only mirror that will reflect who you and I were created to be.
God's word.
And I'm praying that the spirit of God who reveals truth will pull the blinders off your eyes to see yourself through his eyes.
Tell your neighbor it's time to look in the mirror.
In the most general terms, identity refers to one's answer to the question, who am I?
Who am I?
How many of you believe that you were created by God?
raise your hand now this is time to okay good if somebody doesn't have their hand up around you
I need you just to remember that okay lift your hand again if you believe you were created by God
for the most part we don't struggle to believe that God created us
but we struggle to believe what he says about what he has created
Where do you think that struggle came from?
Well, we're going to unpack that tension for a few minutes
You can say yes to Jesus like you did last night
And still not know how to live for him
Because you don't know your identity
A lot of people are trying to live the life God created for them
While still believing lies about who they are
And I need you to hear me in this house
You can't step into what God has created you to be
If you are still believing lies about who you are
So I want you to look at two mirrors today
And ask yourself the question
Which mirror am I looking into?
What story is it telling me about who I am?
There's only two mirrors today
Should be easy notes
Here's the first one
the mirror of original intent that was genesis 127 we just read that but did you know that in
the beginning when god created mankind male and female he created them did you know that we were
the only thing he created that he put his hands on did you know that you were the only thing
created. Mankind is the only thing created that he breathed his breath into. Everything else was
created by his spoken word, but he was intentional about you. And we walked with him in the garden,
and we were created for his good pleasure. We were created for his joy. We were created for
communion with God. Identity was spoken over you in the beginning and it answers the question,
who am I? God answered it before we could even ask. Before sin, before shame, before comparison,
God spoke identity.
Created.
Image bearer.
Fully known.
Fully wanted.
Fully loved.
There's some foundations of your identity in Genesis 127
that I want to point out if you're going to understand his original intent.
And here's the first one.
Your identity is given.
It is not earned.
your identity is given it is not earned psalms 100 verse 3 says this know the lord is god it is he
who has made us and we are his we are his people can i tell you that creators actually are the ones
who decide the purpose of the thing that they created we just had this thing held up a minute
ago and it was created by Steve Jobs and I don't care how you feel about him he
was the creator of the cell phone and why you would want anything other than an
iPhone I don't know if you're an Android user we'll pray for you because that's
crazy but it's okay but if I picked up this iPhone and I said you know what I
think I'm gonna use this iPhone to remodel my house I'll use it as a hammer
how many of you think that sounds like the dumbest idea you've ever heard
or better yet, let me use it as a pair of skis
because we've had a lot of snow around here.
I'll just use it as a pair of skis
and oh my goodness, well, it won't work.
And it won't work.
And that doesn't mean that the iPhone is broken.
It means I misunderstood its purpose.
Listen to me.
Created things don't decide their purpose.
The creator does.
created things do not get to decide their purpose the creator does the one who created you is the
only one qualified to define you and if God made you on purpose then your purpose really isn't up
for debate here's the second foundation identity is rooted in being made in God's image father
spirit. Do you realize that in Genesis 1 verse 27, he tells us three times that you were created
three times. And in Hebrew writing, repetition is like a highlighter.
And it's God underlining something that your identity starts with your creator.
Say this with me. I am created. Say it again. I am created.
One more time like you mean it.
I am created.
Yeah.
Not random.
Not accidental.
Not overlooked.
Not disposable.
Created.
You're created.
You're created.
Identity is established.
Here's the third one.
Identity is established before failure or success.
It's established before failure or success.
Can I tell you today, young people,
value is value whether it's treated with care or not.
It doesn't change its value.
Ephesians 2, 9 and 10 says this,
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done.
No, none of us can boast about it for we are God's masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus
so that we can do good things he planned for us long ago.
So identity established before failure or success.
Here's the last foundation, and that is identity is secure because God is unchanging.
Your identity is secure because God is unchanging.
He will never change his mind about you.
Never.
And some of you might push him away because of your own shame or your own sin.
That's what shame does.
It causes us to forget who we are and makes us want to hide.
Like someone we're not.
When we live out of shame, we become wounded.
So maybe it wasn't someone else or something you did that caused the shame in your life.
Maybe it was something that happened to you that wounded you.
I need every eye up here right now and I need you to hear me say this.
Before you were wounded, you were wanted.
Before you were wounded, you were wanted.
You know, I remember sitting in a Winterfest just like this.
I was a senior in high school, and we had just moved right before my senior year.
We had just moved from St. Louis all the way to Akron, Ohio, and I was mad at God.
I was angry.
I came to Winterfest angry.
I stayed angry for a long time because I lost all my friends.
I was mad at God.
I lost my friends.
I was a basketball player and a good one.
And in St. Louis, I was like three in the state defensively.
And I was like headed in my mind to play ball in college.
And I was mad.
And when we got to where we were going in Akron, Ohio, I got a spot, a starting spot on the team.
but everything felt different.
I walked into practice one day,
and the sport that I loved with all my heart
and I loved to play,
one of my coaches cursed God in my face.
And he said,
because I was going to leave practice and go to church.
Imagine that, young people.
And he looked at me and he said,
you're a blankety blank nun.
And he said a few other choice things about God.
I walked out of practice that day
I got home
I folded my uniform and I took it to his office
but when I got here to Winterfest
I was
I was wounded
and there was nothing anybody could tell me
to get me out of that state but God
and I remember
campus choir taking the stage
it's the only time I ever remember
seeing them up until that point
and God spoke to me at Winterfest
just like this and he said
I had to get you away from that
because that's not what I had for your life
but if you follow me and give me your woundedness
I'll take you to places you've only ever dreamed of.
And he's calling some of you today
to the same thing.
See God spoke identity over you
before the world ever had a chance to speak to you.
How do I know that I'm living in the right reflection?
Matthew 5 8 says this
blessed are the pure in heart
for they will see God
you know that word see in the text
actually means to view
to appear in sight or
reflection so to put it
in full view who I see in the mirror
my reflection is really
telling of what has taken root
in my heart
if I keep a pure
heart then the reflection I
should see is him
and every day when you look in the mirror you can say well hi God how are you how's it going
because the pure in heart will see God but pastor M you don't understand what's happened to me I
find it so hard to believe that I am what he says I am because of the things that have happened to
me or the choices I've made or what someone else did and my heart goes out to you and I understand
those feelings are very real.
But let me help you, Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Feelings are not facts.
Feelings are not facts.
Truth is greater than your feelings.
Truth is greater than your feelings.
Tell your neighbor, truth is greater.
When I look through the mirror of God's original intent,
I live every day fully loved.
not because of how I feel about who I am
but because of who he says that I am
and that's why my favorite scripture
and this is back at our booth and you'll see it
I wrote a book that this is really the spur of it all
it's my life verse and that's this Proverbs 4.23
guard your heart above all else
for it determines the course of your life
see once you're saved
you have to guard your life
against the things that destroy
his reflection in you
young people
get into his word
ask him to give you
revelation and understanding
because when you don't know
his word you'll never know
truth for your life
get in his word
tell your neighbor get in his word
and I guarantee you that the enemy
Your faith is counting on you to be distorted in your view of how God views you so that he can distract you and keep you from knowing truth.
Because here's the second mirror.
And that is the mirror, the distortion of God's reflection.
The distortion of God's reflection.
And this, this is where truth is attacked by lies.
I'm glistening.
We don't sweat.
Girls don't sweat, we glisten.
A lie believed will be lived out.
A lie believed will be lived out, young people.
And how we live changes our reflection.
These mirrors show up after you've put your faith in Christ
if you don't guard the life you live and the choices you make.
And the mirror of distortion dims the light of God's reflection
And it causes us to focus and define ourselves on things that were never intended to define us.
So let's talk about some of those mirrors real quickly.
Here's the first one.
Distortion mirror one.
Comparison.
Comparison.
You weren't designed to compete for a spot that God already assigned to you.
You were not designed to compete for a spot in front of your creator.
You already have one.
And comparison is the fastest way to kill and forget your calling.
If your confidence rises and falls with likes, you're letting strangers vote on your value.
Comparison will always then lead to compromise.
I was a junior at Lee University where I went and I did get to sing in campus choir by the way and
it was the greatest four years of my entire life so I don't know where y'all are going to school
but you probably need to go to Lee that's all I'm saying God is there but I remember I was a junior
in college and choir was singing and someone approached me and they said hey do you want to
make money for college? And I'm like, yes, sign me up. And they said, have you ever thought about
being in a beauty pageant? And I'm like, no, no, I haven't. I'm actually a basketball player. And
if you looked right now, my legs are full of bruises because I am not graceful. And they
talked me into getting into a pageant because they said, well, you can win money and you sing.
And this lady thought I was pretty. So she's like, hey, come and be in a pageant. And I'm like,
Okay, money, great.
I can sing, sure.
I can wear a dress.
Just teach me how to walk in heels.
And seriously walked into Miss Cleveland,
and it was me and 20 other career pageanters
who I know when I walked in the door,
they're like, oh, good, an easy win.
Bye.
I'm like happy to be there.
Introducing myself to everybody.
How are you?
How's it going?
I didn't know I was supposed to compare myself
and be mad about it.
And to my surprise and everyone else's, I ended up winning.
Crazy.
Yeah.
That's not the comparison part.
It gets better.
I go to Miss Tennessee.
I'm like a fish out of water because these girls have trained for their whole lives to
do this.
And I'm just happy to be there.
If God opens the door, I say, "Yeah."
And so I show up and I remember that I'm in the interview with the judges and the
the judges asked me this question.
It's a comparison question, and it was a trap.
They said, do you think you're pretty?
I was like, dang.
Now, in a split second, I had to tell myself,
if you say no, if you say no,
they don't think you're confident.
If you say yes, you're stuck on yourself.
You're in trouble.
So I said the only thing I knew how to say,
well, my father says I am.
Right?
How many of you think that was a good answer?
It totally was.
Totally was.
But I say that to tell you, I didn't have an ounce of comparison in my heart.
It just wasn't there.
And if comparison is not seated in your heart, it won't be your first response.
So distortion of comparison.
Here's the second one.
First of all, I need to tell you that the truth is you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
And that's what the Father says about you.
You don't have to compare yourself to anyone else.
here's the second one
rejection and labels
rejection and labels
being rejected by people
doesn't mean you were rejected by God
and labels
planted by the enemy
is what they are
so that we will partner with him
in owning an identity
that is opposite of our created purpose
just because it was spoken over you
doesn't mean it was written about you
while we were youth pastors in Cincinnati which by the way we have some friends here
who were in our youth ministry who are now youth pastors in this room and I love them very much they
know who they are but we were youth pastors and while we were there I got my master's in counseling
and it was one of the coolest experiences because I I got to work with inner city kids who were
kicked out of the public school system. And I met a young man named DeAndre, and DeAndre quickly
became my favorite person in the school. He was at my school because of violence and drugs.
And he would come and sit down in my counseling office every single day just because he said,
it feels good in here, Ms. G. Feels good in here, Ms. G. And about after three weeks of him coming
in every day, I thought, you know what? I'm about to, I'm about to win DeAndre to Jesus.
Because I honestly feel like the biggest drug dealers were actually meant to be the biggest
evangelists. Okay. Yeah, they are. They can peddle drugs. You know what? They could also peddle Jesus.
Don't write anybody off. And I begin to talk to DeAndre about Jesus.
And I begin to tell him about God has a plan for your life. And I've never heard about that. You
years old on the streets of Cincinnati. His family had raised him to understand you probably won't
live to age 30. So he could never accept when I told him there was a God in heaven that loved him,
but something crazy happened. DeAndre one day was missing and the next day was missing and I got a
phone call from jail. They said DeAndre had killed someone and he went on the run and they found him
in Atlanta and he's now in jail for the rest of his life. But DeAndre called me that same year on
my birthday, best birthday present ever. And he said, Ms. G, Ms. G, you know all that stuff you
told me about God? Well, I accept him as Lord of my life. And I figure I'm going to win this whole
prison to Jesus. That's right. Life put a label on DeAndre, but Jesus said, no, you are created.
You're an image bearer.
I don't know where DeAndre is today, but I just believe he's winning people to Jesus.
See, the truth is, if it doesn't agree with God's word, it's not from the Lord and it's not true about you.
The truth is you are wanted, loved, and chosen.
Here's the final mirror of distortion.
And that is pain and trauma.
See, pain can shatter trust.
And some of you in this room have allowed the temporary trauma of life to separate you from eternal creator.
But Christ is greater than your trauma.
You are not what happened to you.
Pain might be part of your story, but it is not your identity.
Feelings are real, young people, but they are not rulers.
Feelings are very real, but they're not rulers.
They're just visitors.
They're not landlords.
They can't take up residence in you if you don't let them.
The truth is you're not your trauma and he heals the broken.
The truth is you're forgiven so you can forgive.
The truth is the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you've ever believed something about yourself that God never said, raise your hand.
If you've ever believed something about yourself that God never said, be bold, raise your hand.
look at this
no one's alone in this room
can I have somebody come to the keys
but I want to show you as I close
an example of living in the wrong mirror
and what it looks like
and how you can shift it today
there's a character in the Bible
and her name is Leah
we find her in Genesis chapter 29
when we catch up with Leah
I want you to know that she is the oldest
sister she's the oldest sister she has a sister named Rachel and their father's
name is Laban she's not the pretty one Leah is not the chosen one and she's not
the pursued one in fact scripture tells us that Leah had weak eyes now some of
y'all are like well you ugly if the Bible says you're ugly you are way ugly
okay but that's actually not what weak eyes means at all we guys actually means
she had a problem with her vision which meant she was disabled and in that day
if you're disabled you were discounted and scripture says if you know it
Jacob loved Rachel her younger sister and he wanted to marry Rachel and he
worked for seven years and he wanted to marry Rachel but Laban her daddy tricked
tricked Jacob and he put Leah in the marriage bed and he actually married Leah instead of Rachel.
Somebody all say, uh-oh, this is bad.
He had to trick a man into marrying this girl.
Imagine starting your marriage knowing you weren't the first choice.
And then your husband comes to you and says, hey, and by the way, in seven days I'm marrying the sister that I actually wanted.
that's an immediate distortion mirror and watch what she does in chapter 29 it's crazy
the bible actually says that god looked down and saw that she felt unloved so he opened
her womb and she begins to have children which she was trying trying to draw her identity from
giving something that she could. So she has a son and she names him Reuben. And this means,
Reuben means now my husband will love me. She has a second son and she names him Simeon,
which means the Lord heard that I'm unloved. You see how she's birthing her pain.
She has a third son and she names him Levi.
And that means now he'll be attached to me.
Do you see it?
Every time, every name reveals the mirror she's staring into.
Maybe now I'll be enough.
Maybe now I'll be chosen.
Maybe now I'll be loved.
And some of you have been naming your life the same way.
Maybe if I look like her.
Maybe if I was good at that, maybe if I could fit in with them.
Maybe if I just didn't mess up again then.
Wrong mirror.
And the longer you stare into the wrong mirror, the more believable the lie becomes.
But then something shifts in Leah's story.
This is so, so good.
His word is so good.
Watch this, Genesis 29, 35.
When it comes time for her fourth son, she conceived again.
And when she gave birth to a son, she said, this time I will praise the Lord.
So she named him Judah.
And then she stopped having children.
She says, this time I will praise the Lord.
Did you know that Judah means praise?
She named her fourth child out of a new perspective, which was praise.
Nothing changed around her.
Jacob didn't suddenly love her more.
Rachel didn't disappear, and her situation did not improve.
But her reflection changed.
This time, this time she stopped looking at everyone and everything around her.
And this time she looked up.
Nothing changed around her.
But something changed inside of her.
Some of you under the sound of my voice have been asking God for an external change.
When it's your reflection that needs to change.
Your family may not change.
Your school may not change.
Your situation may not change, but your mirror can.
And here's the part that should really shake you.
From the tribe of Judah came Jesus.
The Messiah came through the woman who thought she was second.
The Messiah.
Leah didn't become more valuable that day.
She just chose to see who she was always created to be.
And she stopped looking in the wrong mirror.
And listen to me.
Before culture ranked you.
Before comparison labeled you.
Before rejection bruised you.
God already spoke over you.
Created.
Image bearer.
Loved.
Chosen.
You don't need a better circumstance.
You just need a better mirror.
Why is the realization of this so huge?
And I'm closing.
When you come to the understanding of who you are, your heart posture shifts.
And your desire to live differently is solidified.
Sanctification is about choosing to reflect Him every day through your life and the confidence that you have that you are created and chosen.
Choosing to be set apart, not just once at an altar.
Not just at Winterfest.
Not just at your youth group, but forever.
Set apart.
Sanctified isn't perfection.
It's about direction.
It's about saying, no, that doesn't reflect Jesus anymore.
No, I don't want to watch that anymore.
I don't want to be around those people anymore.
I choose you, Jesus.
I choose you.
Sanctification is cleaning the mirror.
and here's the good news
conviction is not condemnation
when I'm looking at the right reflection
conviction is proof that I'm his
and the enemy condemns
but the spirit corrects
the enemy says you are your struggle
but the spirit says
that's not who you are
I want you to stand all over this room
thank you Jesus
young people
Gen Z
Gen Alpha I love you
you're the coolest generation
created
chosen
image bearer
but can I tell you something
today I wish I could stand
here and tell you hey you're gonna
Here in this altar, you're going to respond to the voice of God and say, God, I give you
myself and I choose to see that I'm creative.
And can I tell you, your situation may not get better, but your reflection can.
Look up here at me.
Every eye.
Or the screen.
Look at the screen or me, however that works.
You were not created to blend in with culture.
You were created to reflect Christ.
You were not formed by accident.
You were formed with intention.
Before your past tried to name you.
Before comparison tried to shrink you.
Before anxiety tried to silence you.
God already said you were created and chosen.
Sanctification is not you trying harder.
It's you saying yes to the one who made you.
Yes.
Yes.
So this time,
every one of you needs a this time moment in your life.
Maybe some of you need it this morning.
This time I won't live in comparison.
This time, I won't partner with labels.
This time, I won't bow to anxiety.
This time, I won't normalize what's killing my calling.
This time.
This time.
If you believe you were created on purpose, I just want you to lift both hands.
That's okay if some of you are already coming.
If you believe you were created on purpose, I want you to lift both hands.
I want you to say this out loud.
I am created.
I am chosen.
I am set apart.
I will reflect Jesus.
One more time.
I will reflect Jesus.
Keep your hands up.
I want to speak over you right now.
And then we're going to pray.
You are not the future church.
You are the church now.
You will not be known for confusion.
You will be known for conviction.
You will not be known for compromise, but consecration.
You will not be known for blending in, but being set apart in Jesus' name.
I believe that this generation, under the sound of my voice, some of you need a this
time moment, and only you know what that is.
So I want to call you now and open these altars.
If you've been living in the mirror of comparison, I want you to come.
If you've been battling anxiety and insecurity and it's crippled your life, I want you to
come.
If rejection is shaped how you see yourself, I invite you to come.
Or you can step out into the aisle.
If you're tired of pretending you're okay, I invite you to come.
If you want at this time moment like Leah, I invite you to come.
And we're going to pray.
I'm going to give you just a moment to move.
I'm going to give you just a moment as people are moving.
Thank you, Jesus.
If you're down here, I just want you to begin to lift your hands and give your heart totally and solely to Him right now.
Lift your hands.
He's your focus in this moment.
He's your focus in this moment.
He's your focus.
You're our focus, Jesus.
It's you, Lord.
You.
You.
You.
Your identity is the mirror we're staring into this morning.
Lift your hands if you're here for prayer all over the room.
This is not emotional hype.
This is identity realignment for a generation.
This is you picking up God's mirror.
and you're taking the challenge to say I'm an image bearer I belong to God I will be set apart
I will be holy lift your hands let's pray let me pray over you youth leaders all over this room if
you see students you want to pray with them leaders anyone I want to pray over this generation image
Image bearers, image bearers, lift your hands.
Father, I thank you for a generation that's radically in love with you.
I thank you that we are created and chosen.
They're going to go further than we go.
They're going to go higher than we go.
I thank you right now.
You see their situations.
You see the tears.
You see the wounds.
You see the pain.
And you speak over them right now.
You speak over them right now.
Lord, I thank you that you're moving over every chair, every aisle.
Lord, this altar space, God, we give ourselves to you, Jesus.
We give ourselves image bearers to you, Jesus.
Come on, just press in and pray.
You're talking to your Father right now.
Oh, Father, we worship you.