🎵Music🎵
Test.
🎵Music🎵
Test.
🎵Music🎵
This morning, if you've got your bulletin there, we'll just go through the schedule of events for today, just so everybody's aware of what's going on today.
So, of course, you're here at the Meetup and General Assembly. We appreciate you being here. Hopefully, you got some rest last night and you're ready to go for today.
So, we're going to have, of course, preaching from the Word of God this morning.
Pastor Tavener from Strong Tower Baptist Church all the way from the UK is here and he's going to be preaching for us and we're looking forward to that.
And we'll also have a game and things like that. And then when we're done here, when we're done here, we're going to have games and competitions before lunch.
So, lunch is going to be at 1 p.m. and lunch is Chick-fil-A, so we'll have Chick-fil-A for lunch this afternoon at 1 p.m.
in the Fellowship Hall. But from 11 to 1, there's going to be a couple of games.
One game is going to be, if you were here last year, we're going to play Jeopardy again.
And it seems like that was a hit last year, so we're going to have the Jeopardy game.
And then we're also, since the Youth Rally is a Western theme, we're going to have target practice with BB guns.
And, of course, with all of these games, you're going to be able to earn points for your team.
So we'll do that from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from whenever we get done here to 1 p.m.
We'll be doing that. Lunch will be from 1 to 2. And then from 2 to 3, you'll have about an hour to be able to get to the Bowl-a-thon, to get to the bowling alley.
And the address is there in your bulletin. So from 3 to 5 p.m., we've got the bowling alley reserved to do some bowling.
And this is going to be a Bowl-a-thon. So the way it's going to work is that you're going to be bowling, of course,
but you're also going to be able to earn points for your team based on the bowling.
So, for example, every strike you get, you're going to be able to earn a certain amount of points for your team.
Every spare you pick up, you're going to be able to earn a certain amount of points for your team.
The teams that win, so when you're bowling, you're going to be competing, you're going to have people from your team competing against people from the other team.
So they'll explain that to you at the bowling alley, but it's going to be a good time, so make sure that you're aware of that.
3 to 5 p.m., we have the fireside lanes that are scheduled. So there's a couple things about the bowling.
First of all, there is a snack bar available at the bowling alley, so if you want to bring some money and get snacks or whatever,
of course you're welcome to do that because we know how much teenagers like to eat, so it'll be right after lunch,
but if you need to eat something or want to eat something, then there is a snack bar.
Also, we want you to know that our church van is available to take kids to the bowling alley,
to take them there and bring them back, all right? So just a couple of things with that.
There's a limited amount of seats, obviously. We can't take all, you know, 75 kids in the church van,
but if you find yourself in a situation where you could use a ride, then we can provide that for you.
After the service, I'll have one of the staff guys back there, and you can let them know if you need a ride.
Now, just keep in mind, if you need a ride for the church van, it'll take you to the bowling alley,
and it'll take you back to the church building, all right? It's not Uber.
We're not going to take you to your hotel or wherever. Take you to the mall.
You go to the bowling alley, and you'll come back, so just make sure you're aware of that.
Then from 5 to 7 p.m., you'll have a break to get ready for the evening service,
and you'll be able to also, of course, have dinner during that time,
and then the service begins at 7. The evening service begins at 7 p.m. tonight.
And then, of course, tonight we're going to have the last wrestling show, the final of the wrestling show,
but also tonight we're going to be doing the giveaways, so we're going to be raffling off hats.
We're going to be raffling off Amazon gift cards, and then, of course, we're going to be raffling off the Onewheel,
which we have tucked away over here, but this is the Onewheel that we'll be raffling off today,
so nobody turn it on and touch it, all right? I don't need you guys getting hurt or whatever.
You can get hurt back home, but it's valued at $1,050, and it's pretty much an electronic skateboard,
but it's pretty cool, so we'll be raffling that off tonight.
And I think that's pretty much it for all of the announcements.
And now, please welcome the winners of last night's wrestling match, Team Goldstander!
Stop the music! Stop the music! I'm here to demand justice.
Last night, during my brilliantly executed tag team win between myself and the announcer Noah Williams,
and two parts of the self-proclaimed greatest tag team wrestlers since sliced bread,
I suffered an unfortunate injury, and instead of consoling me or getting out of my way,
referee turned wannabe wrestler Moses decided to go into business for himself
and jeopardize an entire youth rally event and viciously attacked me.
I viciously attacked you? How about the fact that you and the quote-unquote other announcer Noah Williams
viciously ganged up on me last night? Not only that, in front of my mom!
You mean, after Pastor Jimenez was fairly and honestly eliminated last night by the greatest tag team wrestlers, gold standard.
Okay, first of all, I think it's debatable whether that was fair, but secondly,
I do want to apologize that I had to leave in the middle of the fight last night. You know, when ministry calls.
Pastor, I completely understand. You know, it just brings memory.
I remember that time when a church member was on the brink of death,
and they needed you to go and perform an open heart surgery at the last minute.
Oh yeah, I remember that. Remember that one time that a church member committed second degree murder,
and you helped hide their body? What I meant was you helped serve as their defense attorney, right?
Oh yeah, and remember that one time that a church member was having a nuclear reactor meltdown?
And Pastor needed to come cool down the neutron absorbing control rods in the reactor core?
Anyway, since we agreed to best two out of three, I demand our rematch.
No, I demand a rematch!
You do? Well, I mean, now that I think about it, my ankle really hurts, but I guess.
You're on, but due to my condition, I will not be able to wrestle in the second match tonight,
and I will have to join the announcer at the commentary table,
Ryan Chips, uh, Ryan Ribs, uh, Brian Glubs, I mean, uh, Ryan Chubbies.
So, wait a minute, Dwight King. If you're not going to wrestle, are you able to procure a replacement?
Can I procure a replacement? What does that mean?
He's saying you get someone to replace you.
Oh, yeah, that. I'm trying to, but for some odd reason, which I don't understand,
all my poor friends who I haven't talked to in years and whom I only reach out to when I need something,
none of them are returning any of my calls.
Okay, well, we're going to have to find somebody to replace you.
Is there anybody that could possibly replace you?
Pick me, pick me, pick me.
I mean, is there anyone else?
Me, me, me, Pastor, me.
I mean, you kind of need somebody that might do a good job.
Pastor, I'm tied, I'm free to thrive, I can do this, please, please.
I mean, I...
Introducing this morning, dropped off on a magic carpet that was paid for with oil money from a desert community in Abu Dhabi,
and a tent made of beautiful tapestries, the Prince of Pain, the Sultan of Suffering, the Middle Eastern of Mayhem, Prince Ali.
The Prince of Pain, the Sultan of Mayhem, the Sultan of Suffering, the Prince Ali.
Oh, God.
Hurry.
The Prince of Pain, the Sultan of Mayhem, the Sultan of Mayhem.
The Prince of Pain, the Sultan of Mayhem.
Who are you?
Hello, my name is Prince Ali, and I'm here to replace you, Dwight kid.
You remind me of a staff guy I fired once whose name was Shaw.
Ah, yes, Shaw. He is my second cousin. Twice removed though, you know, and he told me about the situation you're having actually.
Of course he did.
I don't really know that I trust this guy.
Look at him, he's wearing a diaper on his head.
I would think that I, as the manager, Mr. Lit Roller in the Flesh, should be the one that's allowed to replace the privileged white kid.
Besides, I mean, look at the theme for this year's youth rally. It's a Western theme.
You would think that if we were going to just randomly introduce a new character, it'd be an Indian, not this Muslim.
Well, once we're done playing cowboys and Indians, I wouldn't mind playing cowboys and Muslims.
If you two weren't American imbeciles and knew anything about world history, you'd know that my costume identifies me as a pageant from the pre-Islamic era of history.
What does that mean?
It means I'm not a Muslim, Dwight.
Be that as it may, I just want you to know, these colors don't run.
Alright, alright.
You should know I stand for the flag and I kneel for the cross.
Okay, alright. Why don't you just put that away?
I'm just saying united we stand and divided we fall.
Okay, we get it. We understand.
I'm just saying I bleed red, white, and blue. I believe everything I see on Fox News.
And in the 2024 presidential election, whether he's on the ballot or not, I will be patriotically casting my vote for former president Donald J.
Please stop. Please stop.
Hey, terrorist. Are you even a wrestler?
Yeah, haven't you heard of my famous move, the flying carpet? You see? It's 100% silk.
Oh yeah, I've heard of your iconic move, the flying carpet.
It was given to you because of the way the wind breezes through the hair on your ears, neck, and back as you soar through the air.
Exactly, like a flying carpet.
Alright, well I guess it's settled.
Prince Ali can go ahead and replace Dwight Kidd in tonight's match.
Prince Ali, Prince Ali.
Prince Ali, Prince Ali. I mean this very sincerely. I hope you know this.
You can't bring an AK-47 to the fight tonight, okay?
Yeah.
Stay away from weapons.
Wait.
No weapons.
Wait, I didn't know that. Are you serious?
No.
Okay then, ladies and gentlemen, we'll see you all tonight at the Next Generation Youth Rally Verity Mania.
This time, it's personal.
Hey Dwight, would you like to shake on it?
Actually, I'd rather not go home tonight smelling like curry, so I'm going to decline.
What are you doing?
Nothing at all.
Are you okay?
Will Dwight Kidd actually sit at the announcer table without saying anything obnoxious, arrogant, condescending or rude?
No.
Will Prince Ali actually lead the fight and not just be disqualified within seconds of the beginning of the match?
Will the other announcer Noah Williams continue to be Dwight Kidd's token black friend?
Will manager Jacob finally get a life?
Will Pastor Jimenez not be called away to solve the most insignificant problems in the lives of his church members?
Will referee Moses be able to actually get a fair fight?
By now, tonight, at the end of the second evening service of the Next Generation Youth Rally.
Hey, hey.
I don't think that Prince Ali guy is going to try to blow us up or something, right?
I'm not sure, but I'm bringing an entire bomb shelter just in case.
You know, I can hear you guys, okay?
Alright, well I'm sorry about that interruption.
I don't know why those guys think they can just come here and interrupt the Youth Rally right in the middle of the service.
But what we're going to do at this time is we are going to have a game.
We're going to have an icebreaker game.
So I'm going to need six volunteers.
Six volunteers.
Before we do that, let me give you an update on the points.
Just in case you don't remember the point system from last night.
We left off at the Cowboys having 302,000 points for the Cowboys.
302,000 points.
Let's hear it for the Cowboys.
Alright, and then last night we left off with the Wranglers at 306,000 points.
306,000 points.
And alright, so good job there.
It's pretty close, so you of course can still pull ahead, Cowboys.
And in this game you're going to have the opportunity to do just that.
Alright, so we're going to go ahead and have a game.
I need six volunteers.
Three from each team.
You come on up.
And you come on up.
Go ahead, alright.
And I've got one, two, three.
Come on up.
Alright, come on up.
Yeah, come on up.
Are you on that team?
Yeah, well then you can't come up.
I need another volunteer.
Another volunteer hasn't done something.
Anybody want to do something?
Hasn't done anything?
Anyone here?
Alright, Jocelyn, come on up.
Alright, yeah, you can't play for the other team.
Okay, so this game is called the bobblehead game, alright?
And I'm going to go ahead and explain to you how it's going to work.
You're going to receive a pedometer.
Do you know what a pedometer is?
A pedometer is something that measures your steps.
So you wear it, and as you walk around, it measures your step.
What we're going to do is attach the pedometer to a sweatband that's going to go on your forehead.
Alright, so you're going to put a pedometer on your forehead.
And each player must attempt to accumulate as many steps as possible on their pedometer
by bobbling their heads, alright?
So it's called bobblehead.
You cannot use your hands.
You have to have your hands to your side.
But we're going to give you a certain amount of time.
You're going to be given 60 seconds to acquire as many steps as possible on your pedometer
to earn 10,000 points for your team, alright?
10,000 points.
So everybody that participates is going to get a raffle ticket.
The winner is going to get a $10 Amazon gift card.
And then the winning team will get 10,000 points for their team, alright?
So it measures steps on your head.
Let's put your pedometer in the front.
Can we put it in the front?
You don't have one.
Okay, let's get her one.
Or it's coming.
Alright, let's get her one.
Good.
Alright, is it on?
It's on.
Can I see?
Can you see this?
Sorry, thank you.
Is it on?
Yours is on crooked.
You want to just fix it for her?
Does it say zero?
It says zero.
Alright.
Cheer your team on so that they...
Make sure there's no steps on there.
Can I see this?
I'm sorry.
Okay, that's zero.
Zero.
Her hair is in the way of it.
It's a zero?
Okay, does anybody have any questions?
Do you understand what you're doing?
You're acquiring steps, but you're not walking.
You're not...
Actually, you can use your hands, but you just don't touch your pedometer.
But you have to do it by bobbling your head, alright?
Any questions?
Alright, let's get the piano.
Do we have the timer?
Alright, on your mark, get set, go.
This is why you shouldn't volunteer for something until you know what it is.
Are we at ten seconds, you said?
Okay, let's just count it down from ten.
Ten, nine, eight, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop bobbling your head.
Alright, alright, stop it.
Okay, who has whiplash?
Alright, let me...
I'm going to start over here.
You're going to give me your name, and then I'll tell you how many steps you got.
Okay, who's tracking?
You got it?
Okay.
Alright, give me your name.
Jocelyn.
Jocelyn, the winner of last year's grand prize.
She has 70 steps.
Give me your name.
Parker Mostad.
Parker, and he's got 125 steps.
So here's what we're doing.
Someone's going to win as the winner, just on their own, and then we're going to accumulate
the steps to see what winning team.
Give me your name.
Cece.
Cece, and she has...
Sorry, let me see.
138 steps.
Alright, so give me your name.
Briar.
Briar, and she has...
Let me see.
48 steps.
Give me your name.
Jocelyn.
She has 176 steps.
176 steps.
She, like, went around the block.
Alright, give me your name.
Patricia.
Can I move your hair?
Alright, she's got 66 steps.
66 steps.
So that means the winner...
What was it over here?
It's already gone.
It was 174, right?
174.
You're the winner.
Congratulations.
Give her a round of applause.
Alright, hold on a second.
Hold on a second.
Let me give you her tickets.
Let me give you her tickets before you leave.
And you guys are hunting me down for tickets.
Can you grab these?
There you go.
Okay, but we also need to know who's the winning team.
So, you want to add it up?
Did you double check it?
Do you know that Prince Ali guy?
That's weird.
What's...
The Wranglers at 290.
The Wranglers at 290?
335.
The Cowboys take it.
Alright, good job.
Congratulations, guys.
Oh, let's get these over here.
Alright, good job.
So that was...
What'd they get?
10,000 points?
So, let's see.
We had the Cowboys at 302.
And they just got 10,000 points.
So, the Cowboys have officially taken the lead at 312,000 points.
Alright, so good job, Cowboys.
Yeah, alright.
And the Wranglers are at 306,000.
It's still so close.
You're going to be able to earn points, like I said,
for the BB guns, for Jeopardy, bowling,
and then we're going to have games tonight,
so there's still a lot more to come.
Alright, well, good job.
Thank you guys for participating.
And we're going to go ahead and sing another song.
And let's go ahead and take our song books
and go to page number 384.
Page number 384.
And we're going to sing In the Service of the King.
384, sing it out on the first.
I am happy in the service of the king.
I am happy, oh, so happy.
I have peace and joy that nothing else can bring.
In the service of the king.
Every talent I will bring.
I have peace and joy and blessing
in the service of the king.
384, sing it out on the second.
I am happy in the service of the king.
I am happy, oh, so happy.
Through the sunshine and the shadows I can sing.
In the service of the king.
Every talent I will bring.
I have peace and joy and blessing
in the service of the king.
Good, sing it out on the third.
I am happy in the service of the king.
I am happy, oh, so happy.
To him I gladly bring.
In the service of the king.
Every talent I will bring.
I have peace and joy and blessing
in the service of the king.
All right, amen.
At this time we're going to have the reading of the text
and then we're going to have Pastor Tavenner come up
and preach for us this morning.
Please open your mouths to Hebrews 11.
Hebrews chapter number 11.
Hebrews 11 beginning in verse number 1.
Now faith is a substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.
So that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than came,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
God testifying of his gifts,
and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death
and was not found because God has translated him,
for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him,
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house,
by the which he condemned the world
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should
after receive for an inheritance, obeyed,
and he went out, not knowing whether he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob,
the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.
Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed,
and was delivered of a child when she was past age,
because she judged him faithful, who had promised.
Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead,
so many as the stars of the sky in multitude,
and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
These all died in faith, not having received the promise,
but having seen them afar off,
and were persuaded of them and embraced them,
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned.
For now they desire a better country, that is, and heavenly.
Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he hath prepared for them a city.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac,
and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.
Of whom it was said, that an Isaac shall I see it be called.
Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead,
from whence also he received him in a figure.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob, and he saw concerning things to come.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph,
and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when he died,
made mention of the departing of the children of Israel,
and he gave commandments concerning his bones.
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents,
because they saw he was a proper child,
and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Esteem the approach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
By faith he forsook Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured,
as seeing him who was invisible.
Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood,
lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
By faith he passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,
which the Egyptians as saying to do were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down,
after they were compressed about seven days.
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them,
that believed not, which he had received the spies with,
peace.
And what shall I more say?
For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon,
and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah,
of David, also, and of Samuel, and of the prophets,
who through faith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness were made strong,
waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead rays to life again,
and others saved their lives.
The dead raised to life again,
and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance,
that they might obtain a better resurrection.
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,
yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder,
were tempted, were slain with the sword.
They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins,
being destitute, afflicted, tormented,
of whom the world was not worthy.
They wandered in deserts and in mountains,
and in dens and caves of the earth.
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith,
received not the promise.
God having provided some better thing for us,
that they without us should not be made perfect.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for this morning.
God, I thank you for the teens that are here.
I ask that you please give us all a tender heart to the message this morning.
I ask that you be the Pastor of Tabernacle.
Please strengthen them.
We love you.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
I'd just like to start by thanking Pastor Jimenez and Mrs. Jimenez,
just for having me here, having me to preach,
and just the whole Verity team as well.
This has been amazing.
I'm looking out on this amazing church building
and all you guys here and everything going on.
It's been really great.
In case you don't know who I am,
my name's Pastor Ian Taverner.
I'm the Pastor of Strong Tower Baptist Church in the UK.
And, yeah, if you're sitting there wondering,
what did he just say for the last few seconds,
I've got an English accent.
There was an option of getting a translator.
Pastor Thompson's been getting pretty good at the English accent
over the last few years,
but I think you guys are going to be able to keep up for now.
So if there's any problems, just look like you can understand
and turn to the chapters and you'll be all right, okay?
So we're in Hebrews chapter 11.
Look down at verse 24, so Hebrews 11 and verse 24,
where it says this,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
And the title of my sermon this morning is
All Seasons Come to an End.
All seasons come to an end.
I'd like to pray before I carry on with the message.
Father, thank you for your word.
Thank you for this just great group of kids here,
for everyone here, Lord,
that's come to hear your word preached
and get involved in this youth rally, Lord.
Fill me with your spirit now as I preach this message
that you laid on my heart over the last few weeks, Lord,
to just preach it accurately and clearly and boldly
in a way that everyone will go away
and be able to apply it to their lives, Lord.
Fill me with your spirit, please.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Okay, so what is a season?
What's a season?
If anyone's thinking, what are you talking about?
We know what a season is.
Well, keep a finger here
and turn to Psalm chapter 22, please.
If you guys could turn to Psalm chapter 22.
It's a continuing period of time,
but it's a period of time that has an end to it.
We naturally think about four seasons in the year,
and they, for me, I don't know,
from my perspective, they vary in length.
Winter seems to be the longest, especially in England.
That seems to be a really long season,
and then it kind of gets a bit shorter and shorter
until you get to summer,
and for us, summer seems to be a really short season,
even though I think they're actually divided equally.
Well, as we get older, even a year seems to fly.
I'm sure some of the parents here,
some of the older people here,
it feels like every year that goes by,
those years get quicker and quicker.
I think it becomes a sort of a smaller percentage
of your life as you get older.
Well, in Scripture, when we're talking about a season
as a time period, it's longer than a moment,
but it has an end, okay?
That's what we're talking about.
Something that's longer than a moment in time,
but it has an end to it.
So it can be as short as one night.
You're in Psalm 22.
Look at verse 2.
Psalm 22, 2, where David said,
Oh my God, I cry in the daytime,
but thou hearest not,
and in the night season, and am not silent.
So he's contrasting the daytime there
with the night season, or we might say the nighttime.
That's an even shorter sort of period
than maybe a Scottish summer.
I don't know if anyone knows where Scotland is,
but they barely even have a summer.
This is a short period of time, all right?
This is basically a nighttime.
Now turn to Joshua 24,
and this is just by way of introduction,
where a season is used to describe
a much longer period of time, too.
So in Joshua 24, Joshua chapter 24,
Joshua's relaying the words of God to the people.
He says this from verse 6.
So Joshua 24, 6, he said,
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt,
and you came unto the sea,
and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers
with chariots and horsemen unto the Red Sea.
And when they cried unto the Lord,
he put darkness between you and the Egyptians,
and brought the sea upon them, and covered them.
And your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt,
and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
A long season.
Now that was 40 years, okay?
That was 40 years in the wilderness.
Now, I don't know about you guys here,
because it's pretty hot here,
but our winters don't feel that long.
That's 40 years.
So whether it's one night or 40 years,
you can see it can really vary, right?
And a season is a period of time
that has an end to it, okay?
It's not indefinite.
It's not just a never-ending period of time.
It's a period of time that has an end to it.
And back in Hebrews 11,
there are actually three seasons
that I want to focus on in those three verses.
So go back to Hebrews 11 with that in mind, then.
Back to Hebrews 11,
and look at verse 24 in Hebrews 11.
Again, where it said,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God,
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,
esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
The title is All Seasons Come to an End,
and season number one I want to look at
is The Teen Years Will Come to an End.
I'm sure many of you knew that.
The Teen Years Will Come to an End.
Look at verse 24, it said,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Now, what does it mean when he was come to years?
It seems to be when he matured.
Now, we're not talking about necessarily
when he became a man,
but it's a point in time when he matured.
Keep a finger here and turn to Acts chapter seven.
So in case anyone's unaware,
well, you're turning to Acts seven.
Moses is a three-month-old baby
with a death sentence on his head
for just being a male baby.
He was then adopted by the same Pharaoh
that wanted to kill him,
that same Pharaoh's daughter,
but nursed by his mother.
So in just an amazing turn of fate there,
or as we know, that was God controlling that,
he ends up being nursed by his mother.
Now, we don't know a lot about his early years,
but we do know that when Moses was 40,
he killed an Egyptian.
Acts seven and verse 21 says this,
And when he was cast out,
Pharaoh's daughter took him up
and nourished him for her own son.
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom
of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds.
And when he was full 40 years old,
it came into his heart to visit his brethren,
the children of Israel,
and seeing one of them suffer wrong,
he defended him and avenged him
that was oppressed and smote the Egyptian.
So he killed this Egyptian,
for he supposed his brethren would have understood
how that God by his hand would deliver them,
but they understood not.
So according to verse 22 there,
Moses was a pretty clever guy,
said he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
he was mighty in word and in deeds,
and maybe he had a worldly upbringing,
but he seemed to be a clever guy,
and maybe some people here are similar,
maybe you've had a worldly upbringing at the beginning,
guys are teens,
maybe you haven't always been raised in Christian households.
Eventually Moses ended up murdering an Egyptian.
I mean, that's a pretty big sin, isn't it there?
But when was it that Moses refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter?
Verse 25, if you look there again,
it said for he supposed his brethren would have understood
how that God by his hand would deliver them,
but they understood not.
It indicates that by then Moses knew
that he was to deliver his people at this point in time,
but I don't think that happened overnight.
I don't think he just suddenly woke up in the morning,
okay, yeah, right, this is what needs to happen.
Perhaps Moses refused to be called her son much earlier.
I don't know if you've ever wondered about reading this,
with him eventually suffering affliction.
We don't really know,
but back in Hebrews 11 then, with that in mind,
it said in verse 24,
by faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
So here now in verse 24 we're told,
when he was come to years,
and whether that was at 40, at 30, at 20,
or even earlier, there was a point in Moses' life,
okay, there was a point in Moses' life
where he stood up and said,
I'm not one of the world, I'm one of God's people.
Okay, there was a point when he stood up and said,
I'm one of God's people, I'm not of the world.
There was a point when he had come to years
when it was down to him to choose his identity,
okay, to choose whether or not he was basically
gonna be an Egyptian or one of God's people.
And that day is coming for you teens here, isn't it?
All of you here, there's gonna come a point
where you have to choose for yourself.
You have to choose, are you gonna be an Egyptian
or are you gonna be one of God's people?
And are you gonna be an Egyptian,
and really, let's narrow it down a bit more,
are you gonna be a new independent fundamental Baptist?
That's really what it comes down to.
Are you gonna be one of God's people
or are you gonna be one of the world?
Maybe some are thinking, well, you missed the third option,
Pastor Taveno, I don't know what you Londoners
are talking about, it's not just,
is that the only two options?
Well, really, what are the other options?
You got the more laid back non-denom church,
maybe thinking, what about that?
We could just kind of drift into that.
Maybe liberal Baptist church, you could slip in and out
on a Sunday morning, no one really knows
whether you're there, what you're doing,
and whether you're kind of coming each week or not.
Maybe just nominal Christianity,
maybe some people have had thoughts about that.
Move away somewhere and just excuse sitting at home
and maybe watching a few sermons on the internet
and praying together, and that's about it.
Really, it all comes down to this,
are you gonna go to the Church of Egypt
or the Church of God?
Because really, you got two options in life.
You either serve God to the full
or you just drift off into one of Egypt's churches.
And it said in verse 24,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer a flood
and choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
And let me tell you where God's people are found.
They're found in hard-preaching, soul-winning churches.
That's where God's people are found.
That's where it's happening.
That's where the affliction is happening, too,
but it's not something to shy away from.
It's actually a great thing, really.
And Moses didn't just turn his back
on a few worldly friends, by the way.
He didn't just go,
well, you know, we're gonna put away
the kind of slightly worldly family
and turn up at a proper church.
He didn't just forgo a better-paid job
that stopped him worshiping God properly.
Moses was a prince.
He was a prince of Egypt.
He was an adopted son of royalty.
He had it all in the world's eyes, didn't he?
In the world's eyes,
Moses had the lot, and he refused it.
He refused it.
I reckon he probably had access
to the fastest camels, don't you think?
I reckon he could have just turned up
down the camel market
and just got the best camel there,
the most souped-up camel.
I reckon he could have had the best chariots,
don't you think?
I don't know the equivalent.
What's the best cars around here?
I don't know.
We have proper cars in England.
We've got, like, the Aston Martins,
the Rolls Royces.
What do you guys have?
Anyone?
What's a good car in America?
What's the top car?
Toyota.
That's a good answer.
Toyota.
I've seen a lot of Japanese cars.
Yeah, okay.
He could have had the best Toyota guy.
He could have had the best Tesla guy,
or at least that version in a chariot, right?
He could have had it all.
I reckon he could have probably had the best aircon as well.
You guys might need a bit of aircon.
It got hot last night, right?
I reckon he had access to the best aircon.
You know, what sort of aircon?
He probably had the best, biggest palm leaves
being waved on him, you know?
All different angles.
They probably had wind tunnels going through to him.
He had it all, right?
But he refused.
Moses refused all of that.
He said no.
That's what he said.
He said no.
Give me affliction with my people.
It's pretty impressive.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 13.
And like I said, that's a choice that everyone will have to make,
every one of you will have to make for yourselves at some point,
to refuse the world and choose living for God.
Every one of you will have to make that decision.
You'll have to make it.
It won't be your parents make it anymore.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 and verse 11,
1 Corinthians 13 and 11,
he said,
When I was a child,
I spake as a child, I understood as a child,
I thought as a child,
but when I became a man,
he said I put away childish things.
I put away childish things.
Not my parents put away the childish things from me.
I put away childish things.
He chose to put away those childish things.
And you know there's no magic switch, is there?
There's no magic switch at 20 years old,
25 years old, 30 years old.
If at the end of this conference,
just imagine this, okay?
If at the end of this conference,
all your parents got together,
and they said we've all been having a chat
while you've been playing on the field, okay?
And we're going on a massive missions trip to,
we're going to Israel, okay?
Because it's really receptive there, okay?
That's where really holy people are at, okay?
We're going to Israel soul-willing for a year
to try and get our salvation, okay?
Whole lot of us, we're all off there.
Here's the first month's rent, okay?
I've lined you up with a job,
I've lined you up with a home, okay?
Here we go, it's yours.
Here's a question.
How many of you would still be free to thrive,
do you think, in a month's time?
How many of you?
How many of you do you think would,
oh, we've got some hands going on.
We can do some hands if you want.
How many reckon there'll still be
three to five in a month, six months?
Those hands are still up, a year?
Okay.
How many of you would still be reading your Bible
every single morning without mommy or daddy telling you to?
Okay, we've got a few more hands now.
The three to thrive wasn't so confident, okay?
Maybe some of you live far from church, right?
How many of you would still be soul-winning, weekly?
Twice a week?
A couple have gone down, all right.
How many of you do you think would still be
trying to get sin out of your life,
would be praying every day, would be maybe,
how many of you would be tithing out of that money,
would be giving to God?
Okay, we've got some people,
we've got some solid, solid preaching
been going on over the years for you, hopefully.
I hope so, right?
Because you know what?
You don't have long until it'll be down to you, do you?
So it's not long until it's gonna be down to you
to make those decisions for yourself,
to not have to be pushed to do that,
to not have to be pushed every time.
It's meal time to pray for your food,
to give thanks to God, to pray in the morning,
to read your Bibles.
It's gonna be down to you to do all of that.
Because some of you maybe, maybe, look,
some of you, that might be a bit harder.
It's not long.
It's not long until some of you young boys
are gonna be not just doing it for yourself,
but leading a wife, leading a family,
maybe even leading young children.
That could be in not many years to come, right?
What am I saying?
I'm saying all seasons come to an end
and you ain't gonna be a team for life, okay?
So are you on track now?
Are you on track for the next phase of your life
because the teen years end quickly, right?
Do you need Mommy or Daddy
to remind you to read your Bible?
Do you need Mommy or Daddy
to remind you to do all those things,
to pray for your food, to go soul winning,
to do all those things that God wants you to do,
to force you to go to church?
Do you need to drag you along in the morning?
Are you the first one ready?
Because this is the easiest time.
This time of life for you
is the easiest time to make lifelong habits.
It really is.
And that's when the habits stay for life.
Many adults here will have habits
that they made when they were young,
sometimes not always the best habits either, right?
And in these years it's when you make those habits
which will stay with you for life
before the pressures of life get in the way
and it's hard to make habits,
before the job gets in the way
and some jobs can get in the way of making good habits,
paying the bills, relationship troubles, big decisions.
You shouldn't have much of that
at these years of your life.
So right now the obstructions to serving God are minimal.
Okay, they are, really.
You might think they're not, but they are.
The obstructions are minimal.
It's the easiest time to get on track.
It really is.
Because the teen years will come to an end.
That's the first season the teen years will come to an end.
Hebrews 11 said in verse 24,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,
esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
The title is all seasons come to an end.
Season number one, the teen years will come to an end.
Season number two, the pleasures of sin will come to an end.
Okay, the pleasures of sin always come to an end.
Look at verse 24, it said,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Now, I want to point something out here, okay,
that's maybe obvious to some, but maybe not to others.
This is a famous passage of scripture.
You'll hear this quoted many times.
It's not that Moses chose not to sin for a period of time with an end to it.
It's not that he opted out of some temporary time of sin.
It's that Moses chose not the temporary enjoyment.
Okay, it was the enjoyment that would have been temporary.
The sin is rarely for just a season.
It's not that, oh, well, you can kind of do the sin for a season
and then choose something else.
No, the sin is not just for a season.
It's the enjoyment of the pleasures of sin that is just for a season.
Because all sin has consequences.
Every single sin has consequences,
and although the enjoyment is short-lived,
the consequences are always long-lived.
And often the sin is long-lived too.
Whether it's a consequence or not,
it is so often hard to stop once you start.
But the enjoyment, the pleasure isn't long-lived.
That quickly ends, believe me.
Let me give you some examples of some sins
that I'm sure were big in Egypt then as they are in the world now.
So turn to 1 Peter 5.
How about drinking alcohol?
Now some will say, no, the sin is being drunk.
The sin is being a drunkard.
No, being drunk or a drunkard gets you kicked out of a proper church.
But not being sober is a sin.
It's a sin.
What's sober?
Not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
We're commanded to be sober.
Time and time again in the Bible we're commanded to be sober.
1 Peter 4.7 says,
But the end of all things is at hand.
Be ye therefore sober, and watch under prayer.
1 Thessalonians 5.6 says,
Therefore let us not sleep as do others,
but let us watch and be sober.
1 Peter 1.13 says,
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Something tells me that God wants us to be sober, doesn't it?
I think it's quite clear that God wants us to be stone cold sober.
You say, oh, well, that's just talking about being sensible, being serious.
People try and say this one.
You know, being calm and collected,
which is exactly the opposite to being high on drugs or drunk on alcohol, okay?
Clearly.
But why is it so important?
Well, in 1 Peter 5.8, Peter said this.
He said, 1 Peter 5.8,
Be sober, be vigilant, because.
Why?
Because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour.
And listen, yeah, I could tell you countless stories,
countless of people I grew up with who were devoured due to alcohol and drugs.
Devoured.
Whole lives destroyed, wrecked because of alcohol and drugs.
They enjoyed getting drunk for a season.
Yeah, some of them did. Some of them didn't.
Some of them, it didn't even last a night before they were lying in their own pool of vomit
and just, what on earth, right?
But some, no, maybe they did enjoy it for a season.
They enjoyed getting high for a season, maybe.
That's the reality of it.
How long did it last?
How long was the season?
For some, it was literally like that Scottish summer.
I mean, the devouring came quickly.
I know kids, teens, who died in drunken car crashes,
who ended up in prison after drunken nights out,
who ended up even seriously assaulted if not killing people after drunken nights out.
Drugs wrecked their lives.
Kids who got thrown in prison, drunken vandalism.
Kids who turned into paranoid nutters after smoking weed.
Oh, you know that really healthy weed that, like, everywhere,
that it's just so cool, isn't it, cannabis?
It's so healthy, it's so good.
All that nonsense.
I know people who smoked a couple of joints of marijuana
and ended up completely nuts for the rest of their life,
just a joke, a laughing stock.
Sometimes that season's really short.
Or people who literally have flipped out
and are, like, dribbling vegetables after some other mind-altering drug.
How long's that season?
You don't know how long that season is.
You don't want to dabble with things that you don't know, okay?
But for some, that season was a little longer.
Maybe it was several years before that cool kid at school
ended up being a skeletal drug addict.
And you see him now, if I ever go back to the town I grew up,
and I see people, I think, I recognise that guy.
That guy used to seem to be the cool kid.
Now he's walking around like one of these idiots out there,
you know, begging on the side of the street, covered in filth.
Maybe a bit longer before that guy's wife left him
because he couldn't stop going to the pub every night.
We call it the pub, you guys probably call it the bar or something.
Every night after work, just could not get out of there.
It started, oh, it was just a bit of drinking,
he can't get out, his wife's left, he barely sees his kids,
his whole life's a mess.
Maybe even longer for that social drinker
to have a tragedy in life that stopped it being just social in the end.
And then eventually they can't stop because they're an addict.
And sometimes that season's long, you know?
But it's still a season, okay?
It's still a season, it always comes in the end.
Now turn to Proverbs 23, what am I saying?
I'm saying all seasons come to an end, yeah?
They always come to an end.
The pleasures of sin will come to an end, but the sin won't.
Okay, the pleasures of sin will come to an end,
but the sin won't come to an end.
Now Proverbs 23 is one of those passages
that the old liberal social drunkards
who claim to be Bible believers wish wasn't here, okay?
It's one of them they would love to rip out Proverbs 23,
especially from verse 29 where we're going to look at now,
where it says here in Proverbs 23 and verse 29,
Who hath woe, who have sorrow, who hath contentions,
who hath babbling, who hath wounds without cause,
who hath redness of eyes?
They that tarry long at the wine,
they that go to seek mixed wine,
look not thou upon the wine when it is red,
when it giveth his colour in the cup,
when it moves itself right, forget just not drinking.
How about just not looking at alcoholic drinks?
That's what God wants you to do, not even look at them.
Don't look at them, don't set your eyes upon them,
keep far away from them.
He said at the last it biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like an adder.
Thine eye shall behold strange women
and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,
or as he that lieth upon the top of the mast.
They have stricken me, shout thou saying I was not sick.
They have beaten me and I felt it not.
When shall I awake?
I will seek it yet again.
Like so many sins in life,
the enjoyment, the pleasure turns into woe.
It said here, sorrow, contentions, babbling, wounds, sickness, beatings.
But the sin continues.
When shall I awake?
I will seek it yet again,
the repercussions continue, the sin continues,
and it's just so hard to stop.
And this isn't just because of the physical addiction.
Do you guys have something called Dry January here?
Ever heard of that?
Yeah, no?
Okay, we have something in England where people basically,
I don't think you guys are anywhere near as bad as England is for boozing, okay?
And this is this really joke thing we have in England
where in January people get sponsored to not drink for a month.
This is like this amazing feat, this amazing accomplishment
where in the world people are high-fiving each other going,
we made it through January without drinking alcohol.
Now these guys aren't what you call physical alcoholics.
They're not getting the shakes and everything else from not drinking.
And you see these people, you think, what a mess.
But these are still mental, they're alcoholics, okay?
They're still mentally addicted to booze.
They cannot go a month without it being a massive accomplishment
without drinking alcohol.
That's a massive problem, isn't it?
Okay, and that's a massive problem that will ruin your life.
And here it said, when shall I wait? I will seek it yet again.
What's the answer? Be sober, be sober, be sober.
Don't open the door, keep it both shut.
And how to achieve that is earlier in the chapter,
it said in verse 20, be not among winebibbers,
among rioters, eaters of flesh for the drunkard
and the glutton shall come to poverty
and drowsiness shall clothe the man with rags.
Keep well away, that's what he's saying.
Keep away from it, keep away from the boozers,
keep away from all that stuff.
Don't be among drinkers, don't even look at it.
And there were some other big sins, though,
that are being pushed upon you.
So that's a sin that I believe that Moses was obviously resisting.
He didn't take that enjoyment of the pleasures of sin for a season.
And like I said, some might enjoy it for a short time,
it's always going to end.
But there are other sins as well that I think he avoided
that the world says run to, but God says run away from.
And if you turn to 1 Corinthians 6,
we're going to go to the first of the three fleas.
Anyone know what the three fleas are?
Anyone know what the first of the three fleas is?
Kids, no, no, no one knows what one of them is?
A flea, he said to flee something.
Do you know what he told us to flee?
Yeah, go on then.
Got it, fornication, good answer.
1 Corinthians 6, he said this in 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 15.
He said, Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot?
God forbid.
This is 1 Corinthians 6, verse 16.
Now what, know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body,
for to saith he shall be one flesh,
but he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
Flee fornication.
He said flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body,
but he that comitteth fornication sinneth against his own body.
What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price,
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
He said to flee, he said run the other way, why?
Why did he say that?
Now aside from the fact that your local church is the body of Christ,
that you're part of that body,
that you're joining some whore or whoremonger to that,
to the body of Christ,
apart from the fact that you're sinning against every member of your church at the same time
when you commit fornication,
aside from the fact that you have the Holy Ghost indwelling you,
that you are bought with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
aside from all of that, I want to focus just on our theme today,
that the pleasures of sin will come to an end.
Let's just focus on that.
Aside from those massively important reasons,
let's just look at this reason as well.
The enjoyment, the advertised pleasure is only for a season.
Now how long is that season?
For some, it's not even that night's season.
That's the truth.
For some, it was only the idea, whereas the reality was very different.
The regret, the shame, the embarrassment,
the broken hearts, the emotional trauma can be instantaneous,
straight away, even before the actual act.
For others, it's soon after.
For others, it's a worry or the reality of disease,
and some pretty nasty diseases, horrendous diseases,
diseases that people will never get rid of for the rest of their lives.
For some, it's the worry, or even worse,
the reality of a child with some whore or whoremonger.
That now is the parent of your child for the rest of that child's life.
For others, it's getting dumped soon after, committing fornication,
the heartache and the emotional trauma that comes from that
because it's something that should be between married couples.
For others, that season lasts longer.
For some, maybe they became more emotionally hardened,
maybe they avoid or stop caring about disease and things like that,
until the natural desire to marry and settle down and have kids kicks in,
but they're damaged goods.
It's so much harder to settle down,
it's harder to have a successful marriage
because of everything they've been through when they were younger,
because of the fornication.
Maybe they're a married man
and they still see every other woman as a potential conquest.
They're a married woman,
they're still emotionally affected by past experiences,
they still can't get it out of their mind sometimes.
What I'm saying is all seasons come to an end.
That season does come to an end.
It comes to an end quickly.
The pleasures of sin will come to an end,
and that's why God said flee fornication.
He said run the other way.
And Pastor Thompson preached our sight about having some room,
room between you, not touching you.
You think, oh, this sounds a bit extreme, doesn't it?
By the world's standards, by Egypt's standards,
but not throughout history.
People understood that.
I'm sure a few decades ago here, no one would think that was weird, would they?
Oh, but we're so much better off now, aren't we?
I mean, what on earth?
Look around you.
I mean, that's some great advice, isn't it, for you guys?
Yeah, don't touch before marriage.
Have some room between you if you're dating someone.
That's some great advice, because God says flee it.
He says run the other way.
Do your best to flee it.
Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10 for the second of the three fleas.
Okay, who knows what the second of the three fleas is?
No? Anyone?
Second of the three fleas?
No. It is...
Oh, did you say adultery or idolatry?
Who was it? Did you? What did you say?
Oh, it's idolatry, yeah? Okay.
Did you say adultery or idolatry? It's the accent, man.
We'll go with idolatry anyway.
I think you did say idolatry, though.
1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13 says this.
1 Corinthians 10, 13 says,
But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted.
Above that you're able, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it.
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
He said flee it. Flee from idolatry.
Paul said that God won't allow you to be tempted
above that you're able to bear, so basically there's no excuses.
Okay, there's no excuses.
He then said, wherefore flee from idolatry,
which means run away from it, obviously.
Most here, I would hope, wouldn't consider bearing down to images.
So sometimes we look at that and we think,
well, yeah, that's for like, you know, those weird Indian types
and stuff that make these graven images.
That's not us here. We don't have a problem with that.
That's no problem. Move on. Let's go to the next one.
But if Psalm 96.5 says,
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens,
that tells you that whether it's a graven image
or, for me, a repent of your sins, Jesus,
it's a false god and it's an idol.
Whatever it is, if it's a false god or a fool,
the gods of the nations are idols,
all these different things for me are idols.
So anything that you put in the place of God is an idol,
then you're told to flee it.
Flee it. Run the other way.
That means flee the false church.
Flee the false church.
The enjoyment will turn to unfulfillment pretty quickly, okay?
Flee the celebrity idol.
There's some people that still have celebrity idols, sports idols.
The pleasure you get from them,
then, then will turn to disappointment pretty quickly.
You make someone an idol in your life,
they're only going to let you down, okay?
There's only one God that won't let you down, okay?
And that's the God of the world. That's the God of the Bible.
Flee the body idolatry. How about that one?
The enjoyment you get from staring at your guns
and your six-pack abs, okay?
Or your thigh gap or whatever the latest fashion for ladies is
because it changes every decade or so. I can't keep up, right?
The idea is that will only last for a season
because that body will change.
And if you're getting... that's what you live for and everything else,
believe me, you're going to be disappointed as you get older, okay?
Because those guns are harder to maintain,
those abs are harder to keep washboards,
that thigh gap is harder to keep and everything else.
And if you make it into an idol in your life,
it's only going to disappoint you in the future, right?
Maybe before that happens, the fashion is going to change anyway.
When you get these body builds, I always laugh about it with like,
yeah, I've got to get the pecs, get the pecs, you know,
and they're like, ah, bench press, flies and everything else.
And then suddenly they're out of fashion.
So now it's about like big legs and they're like walking around like little chickens,
like this, and it's like, oh, no, quick, get on the leg press.
Get on the leg press. It's like, that's out now.
It's all about the guns.
And they just can't keep up, you know?
These things change and it will all let you down in the end.
The pleasures of sin will come to an end.
Okay, what about the third flea? Anyone got the third flea?
Go on, man.
Say again?
That's actually the fourth, but the third flea is actually covetousness.
Although it doesn't say covetousness, but it is covetousness.
If you turn to 1 Timothy, chapter 6, 1 Timothy 6.
Now, we know for sure that this was a temptation for the adopted prince of Egypt, Moses.
You're turning to 1 Timothy 6, but Hebrews 11, 26, said of Moses,
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.
The treasures in Egypt.
Now, regardless of that temptation, okay, Paul warns us here in 1 Timothy 6 to flee.
It said in verse 6, but godliness with contentment is great gain,
for we brought nothing into this world and in certain we can carry nothing out,
and having food and raiment, let us be there with content.
So we should be able to be content with just food and raiment.
That's it. Just clothing and food.
But they that will be rich, okay, these are people whose goal is riches,
but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil,
which whilst some coveted after they have heard from the faith
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows,
but thou, O man of God, flee these things.
He said, flee these things, and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
And of course really it's just another form of idolatry.
Colossians 3, 5 says, modify therefore your members which are upon the earth,
for on occasion uncleanness, inordinate affection,
evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
But it's an idolatry focused particularly on money and wealth.
That's what that idolatry is.
It's putting money, wealth, gain above God.
It's an inordinate desire for that.
And that enjoyment, okay, that pleasure or gain,
it's only going to last for a season.
Verse 9 says that it's a snare, it's a trap.
And what I've noticed with covetous people is that it is never enough.
It's just never enough for them.
They'll never have that amount where they're like,
right, finally I've got enough.
I've known rich covetous people that spend their whole lives trying to get richer.
I've known people that have money beyond any of our, you know,
most people's imagination, and they still just need more and more and more.
You know, suddenly it's, okay, the Aston Martin or the, you know, the proper cars,
they're not good enough.
Now we need the helicopter.
And then the helicopter's not enough, we need the yacht.
Okay, the yacht's not.
We need the little private jet.
It's never enough.
They always need more and more and more and more.
It's never enough for people.
They're never content with it.
There's never that point when they go,
right, now I'm happy because they're covetous.
But I've also known poorer covetous people.
You know that.
You know, it's not just rich people that are covetous.
Poorer covetous people that spend their whole lives
counting every penny of what money they do have.
Not because they're running out,
just because they obsess over it.
They don't want to spend it on anything.
They don't, you know, everything is just some stress
and money, money, money, money, money.
And the enjoyment goes, it becomes a stress.
A stress for more, a stress to spend less,
one of the two, either way,
it's a stress to maintain the covetous lifestyles,
whether they're rich, whether they're poor,
or a stress to keep building that pile of money.
The pleasures of covetousness will come to an end.
They always come to an end.
And by the way, like he said there,
there is that full flee.
2 Timothy 2.22 says,
So that's basically just an umbrella
for all of those strong, sinful desires
that are strongest when you're young, okay?
And are the opposites to living godly.
So he said, flee them.
Why? Because the pleasures of sin will come to an end.
They always come to an end.
You'll never be happy with it.
And back in Hebrews 11, it said this in verse 24.
And we're coming up to the last point.
He said,
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Esteem in the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
The title is All Caesars Come to an End.
Season number one, the teen years will come to an end.
Season number two, the pleasures of sin will come to an end.
And season number three,
the physical life will come to an end.
Okay, the physical life will come to an end.
Now this is one of those truths
that we older people here think about more and more.
So it's kind of, you know,
this dawns on us more and more as the years go by.
That physical life is coming to an end, okay?
But it is something that you need to think about more
in your life-forming years.
Okay, so even though as we're getting older,
yeah, we just keep getting reminded every ache and pain
in the morning, and as they increase,
we're just thinking, yeah, this is,
we're getting on a bit here, right?
But you guys need to think about it now.
Look at verse 24.
It said,
I want them to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Esteem in the reproach of Christ's greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
So whether or not it was that Moses had respect
unto the payment that was made by Christ once for all,
or whether it's that he had respect
for what the payment had provided, eternity and heaven,
either way,
Moses considered the reproach for his faith
as greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.
And Moses, like we said,
had access to a lot of treasures, didn't he?
Like I said, he was a prince.
He had it all.
But Moses had set his affection on things above, okay?
Not on things on the earth.
He knew that when the physical life
was over, eternity awaits.
That's what Moses knew.
And there are much greater riches to be had
than what this world has on offer, okay?
Because the physical life will come to an end.
And you guys don't know when that'll be.
You really don't.
You don't know if that could come now.
It might even come before,
sadly, before you even get out of your teen years.
That's life, isn't it?
We don't know.
What if we all died tomorrow?
What rewards are waiting you?
You ever wondered that?
If you die tomorrow,
what's waiting for you in heaven now?
If you're saved, praise God, you're going to heaven.
But what rewards are up there for you?
Turn to James 4, James chapter 4.
We're nearly done.
2 Corinthians 5, 10 says,
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that everyone may receive the things done in his body
according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.
So what are you going to receive?
How many rewards are awaiting you right now?
Or are you waiting until you're 20?
Till you're 30?
Till you're 40?
And like I said, who says you'll even make it there?
Who says you'll even make it to that age?
I lost friends when I was young.
I'm still losing people now.
And I'm sure everyone else here can say the same.
James 4 says this in verse 13,
Go to now ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city,
and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get again.
Verse 14,
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow,
for what is your life?
It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time,
and it vanish away.
It's like that.
It appears for a little time, and then it vanishes away.
Who knows how long our lives really are?
I don't know.
At some point, that life will vanish away.
And will you regret that you didn't do more?
Would you look back now and regret?
If you suddenly died tomorrow, would you be looking back and going,
I could have done more though.
I could have done more for God.
Maybe you didn't tell that friend about Jesus,
that unsaved family or friend, that cousin, whoever it was,
someone you came across, someone maybe you used to know,
maybe someone outside of the church.
You just didn't tell them.
You didn't tell them about Jesus than you could have done.
Maybe you were out soul winning, and maybe a kid went past,
and you were just a bit nervous,
you just didn't get that courage up to say something.
Will you regret that maybe in time to come?
Maybe that you were too nervous to tell someone about salvation
in your life, a family member, a friend,
too embarrassed to open your mouth boldly
to make known the mystery of the Gospel.
We all need to pray for that sometimes, don't we?
But we should still all be doing that.
Who knows when your physical life will end?
Anyone know when their physical life will end? Because I don't.
And who knows when those in our lives that are lost,
when I say lost, the unsaved in our lives,
who knows when their physical life will end,
and then they lift up their eyes being in hell, being in torments.
Lift up their eyes in hell, being in torments,
and you think, wow, you could have changed their eternity, right?
You're still in James 4, look at verse 15, it says,
For that ye ought to say,
If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that,
and now ye rejoice in your boastings.
All such rejoicing is evil.
Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good,
and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Now Moses knew to do good and did it, okay?
But we know to do good as well,
and we don't have long to do it.
We really don't.
Life goes quickly, and you don't have long,
and like I said at the beginning,
these are your life-forming years,
so you can get in a habit of serving God and doing great things,
or you can put it off, put it off,
not get in the habit,
how long will that physical life really be?
The physical life, that season, will come to an end.
So make use of it before it does, right?
Look at verse 24, last time, it says,
By faith Moses, back in Hebrews 11,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,
esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt,
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
The title was All seasons come to an end.
Season number one, the teen years will come to an end.
Season number two, the pleasures of sin will come to an end.
Season number three, the physical life will come to an end.
My hope and prayer for all of you kids here,
all the kids at our church,
all the kids that really, you know,
that were getting saved all over the place,
is that you're just going to go on to make
a big difference with that season you've been given.
Okay, because, look, the teen years are going to come to an end,
and you're in a short season of life, really,
and you're going to go on from this.
You're going to go, like, this is amazing, isn't it?
I mean, some of you guys here,
you probably don't realise how blessed you really are, okay?
You're in an amazing church with amazing people.
You've got, you know, people preaching the word of God to you,
doing all this great stuff year round,
great like-minded believers,
and you could go on from this
and really catapult your spiritual lives and be like,
yeah, actually, you know, let's go on from this youth conference
and go on and just knuckle down, serve God,
try and live right, try and get right,
start that early.
Or you could just go, yeah, that was a good bit of fun,
and yeah, let's see what happens,
Mummy and Daddy will tell me what to do,
and then suddenly it's you're an adult,
and it's like, ooh, what are we doing now?
You know, where am I going now?
What am I going to do?
Well, hopefully, you're just going to think,
whatever I do, I'm just going to serve God, right?
I'm going to serve God,
and remember that the worst thing you can do
is get into some of those sins that I talked about today.
I mean, and let's be honest,
how much of the world is in those?
A large percentage, I don't know about round here,
but round our way.
Fornication, drinking, idolatry, covetousness,
that's all fashionable sins now, isn't it?
That's just fashionable life.
And look, avoid that stuff.
Remember that these years are short.
Get started early.
Make sure that you're in the things of God,
and remember that your life's short,
and you've got a short amount of time
to make a difference while you're here.
I hope that's been a blessing to you.
I know it's a bit of a challenge for you all,
but hopefully you go away and take that challenge on board.
On that, we're going to finish the word of prayer.
Father, thank you for your word.
Thank you for the kids here, Lord,
and just for the fact that we have this opportunity
to preach to them,
that they're able to just preach,
hear messages that are just directed really for them,
and for them to just take that on board, Lord,
for them to go away and just think,
really think about what your word's saying to them today,
and from yesterday and from this evening as well.
We've passed through a minute and yet to preach,
and for them to apply it to their lives, Lord,
to not just be hearers of the word but doers.
Help everyone to just have a great day, Lord,
a great day of fun and games,
and for everything to go well,
for everyone to be safe and sound,
and to just have a great service this evening.
In Jesus' name we pray all of this. Amen.
Amen. All right.
Well, let's give Pastor Tavener a round of applause
and thank him for the great sermon.
He came all the way from England.
I feel like we should give him 100,000 points
just for being here.
We, of course, appreciate him and his friendship.
We're going to go ahead and sing page number 97.
Page number 97, and we're going to sing
I Need Thee Every Hour
as we prepare to end the service this morning.
Let's go ahead and sing it out on the first.
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine can peace afford.
I need thee, oh, I need thee.
Every hour I need thee,
oh, bless me now, my Savior.
I come to thee.
Good. Page number 97. Sing it out on the second.
I need thee every hour.
Stay thou near.
Temptations lose their power
when thou art nigh.
I need thee, oh, I need thee.
Every hour I need thee.
Oh, bless me now, my Savior.
I come to thee.
I need thee every hour.
Enjoy your pain.
Come quickly and abide,
for life is vain.
Thee, oh, I need thee.
Every hour I need thee.
Oh, bless me now, my Savior.
I come to thee.
Good. Sing it out on the last.
I need thee every hour, most holy one.
Oh, make thine indeed thou blessed Son.
I need thee, oh, I need thee.
Every hour I need thee.
Oh, bless me now, my Savior.
I come to thee.
All right. Well, it is 11 21 right now,
so what we're going to do is we're going to head into the games for this afternoon.
Lunch is at 1 p.m., so we're going to have the games before lunch,
and then we're having Chick-fil-A delivered for lunch today.
So the games for this afternoon are going to be Jeopardy,
and they are going to be target practice with BB guns out in the field.
You're going to be able to earn points for all of these games, all right?
So just to recap, the Wranglers have 306,000 points,
and the Cowboys have 312,000 points, so it's real close.
You're going to have a lot of opportunities with Jeopardy,
a lot of opportunities with the BB guns, a lot of opportunities with the bowling,
and a lot of opportunities with the games tonight to earn more points,
to earn more raffle tickets, all of that.
So just are we doing Jeopardy first?
Okay, so we're going to do Jeopardy first.
So let's take about, it's 11 22, let's take about an eight-minute break,
or about a ten-minute break or something like that,
and around 11 30, let's make sure we're meeting in the fellowship hall for Jeopardy,
in the fellowship hall for Jeopardy.
Let's pray, and we'll be dismissed.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we love you.
Thank you for the sermon we heard today.
Lord, thank you for the preaching that we've heard in the last couple of days.
Thank you for these young people, Lord.
I pray that you'd bless the afternoon,
help everybody to have a good time, to enjoy themselves,
and Lord, we pray that you'd bless everything that happens tonight as well,
that it bring honor and glory to your name.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
God bless you. You are dismissed.
Amen.