.
I want you to notice that word there.
Unfain.
And of course the word fain means to pretend.
The word fain means
to be insincere.
But here we see the opposite
of fain.
It is an unfain faith.
So it is not insincere
but it is sincere.
It is not pretending
but it is authentic.
It is genuine.
And here he says when I call to remembrance
Paul speaking to Timothy.
He says the unfain faith that is in thee.
He says which dwelt
first in thy grandmother Lois
and thy mother Eunice
and I am persuaded
that in thee also.
And here what we find
is the Apostle Paul speaking to this young man
Timothy and he is talking
about the fact that this young man Timothy
is what we would call a second
or in his case a third generation
Christian. He is not someone that
got saved and
just started this Christian life
on his own but he has this
legacy of
Christianity in his family.
Paul talks about the faith
that dwelt first in thy
grandmother Lois and then thy
mother Eunice and he says I am persuaded
that is in thee also.
And here is point number one for tonight.
We are talking about seven principles for young people
and young people
are going to have to decide
you young people need to
decide you must make
your faith
personal. You must make
your faith personal.
You are going to have to decide
because here is what I know and I don't need to know
a lot about you to know this about you
if you are here on a Wednesday
night at Faithful Word Baptist
Church you have got somebody
in your life that is trying to
instill something in you.
Now I am not saying that your parents are perfect
I am not saying that they do everything that they are supposed to do
and that they do it alright.
But if they have got you here on a Wednesday night
then they have got to believe something
and there is some
faith there that they are trying
to pass down to you
but here is the truth
that is not enough. It is not enough for you
to maybe have a grandmother
that loved God and served God.
It is not enough for you to have a mother
or a father that loved God and
served God. You are going
to have to make a decision
on your own to make
your faith
personal. Now you are there in
2 Timothy. Go with me if you would
to the Old Testament books of
2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles
chapter 34. If you find the one
and two books towards the beginning
of the Old Testament they are all clustered
together. 1 Samuel, 1 Kings
1 Chronicles. Find 2 Chronicles
34 and then do me a favor
put a ribbon or a bookmark
or something there
because we are going to
be going back and forth
to that part of the Bible
and I would like for you to be able to get there
quickly. 2 Chronicles chapter 34.
I want you to notice here in verse number 1
2 Chronicles 34 and verse
number 1. We have a story
of a very famous
Bible character. A very famous
young man. Notice when we meet him here
he is just a child. 2 Chronicles
34 says this
Josiah was 8 years old
when he began to reign.
Of course this is a king of the
southern kingdom of Judah
and he reigned in Jerusalem 1 in 30
years. Notice verse 2
and he did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord.
I am not preaching necessarily about this
tonight but I think it is interesting
as you read 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles
you will find that God
always gives this little
statement about whether or not
the individual lived for God
or did not live for God.
That doesn't mean they were perfect, it doesn't mean they were sinless
of course, but it means that they
tried to walk with God.
Here the Bible tells us about Josiah
that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord
and walked in the ways of David his father
and declined, another two, the right hand
north to the left. I want you to look at verse
number 3. Verse number 3 says this
2 Chronicles 3 for 3
For in the eighth year of his reign
just notice this little phrase. In fact
if you don't mind writing in your Bible
I would love for you to mark these words
where the Bible says this
For in the eighth year of his reign
while he was yet
young
while he was yet young
he began to seek after
God, excuse me, after the
God of David his father.
Here the Bible tells us
about Josiah
that while he was yet
young he began
to seek after
God and he began to seek
after the God of David
his father. This was a decision
that was made in his life
while he was yet young and I think that
sometimes young people maybe
get this idea and they might think
well I'm just a young person, I'm
just a child, I'm just 8 years old
I'm just 12 years old
I'm just 14 years old or
17 years old or whatever it might be
and you might get this idea that says
I can't serve God, there's nothing I can do for the Lord
there's no way that God could use me
maybe one day, maybe
sometime in the future, but not now
but listen to me, you need to
understand that the Bible
actually emphasizes this idea
of young people serving the Lord
In fact some of the greatest
Bible characters throughout the
entire Bible are young people
that decided to serve
God. You say what kind of young people?
Young people like Joseph
Young people like Samuel
Young people like David
Young people like Jonathan
Young people like Naaman's little maid
Young people like Joash
and Josiah and Daniel
and Shadrach and Meshach
and Abednego
and those are just the ones that
I thought about that we could confirm
we could actually look at a portion of
scripture that tells us that they're a young person
there's all sorts of other people
that we think were probably young
when they began to serve God but maybe we don't
have a specific verse that references that
but the point is this, that the Bible
tells us and it shows us
that it is possible for a young
person to decide
they're going to serve the Lord
to decide that they're going to walk with God
the Bible says here of Josiah
while he was yet young
he began to seek after God
now I'm not just talking about salvation
of course we hope that you're saved tonight
if you're here tonight we hope you're saved
if you're not saved please let us show you
how you can know for sure you're on your way to heaven
but we're talking about deciding
what you're going to do about the faith
that has been passed down to you
not just salvation
although we hope you'll be saved
but you've got to decide
what are you going to do about this King James Bible
what are you going to do about soul winning
and what are you going to do about
these doctrines and these standards
and what are you going to do about
God in your life
it's not enough to come from a family
that brought you to church
that exposed you to the gospel
that got you saved
praise God for that
praise God for the fact that there may be
people in your home that are
investing in you
I'm a product of a Christian home
I can say like the
Psalmist says in Psalm 16 6
the lines are fallen unto me
in pleasant places
I have a goodly heritage
I'm thankful for the fact
that I have a heritage of parents
that were saved and were
independent, fundamental, soul winning
Baptist and loved the Lord
and raised us in a Christian home
I can say like the Psalmist
the lines are fallen unto me
in pleasant places and I'm sure that
if you're here tonight and you're a young person
you can say the same thing but listen to me
that's not enough
it's not enough for you to have been given
a home that
raised you in the things of God
you're going to at some point
have to decide
what are you going to do
about Christianity
what are you going to do about the Christian life
you need to make
your faith personal
it can't just be passed down
now I hope it's passed down but you need to
have it passed out
to you and then decide
I'm going to make this thing personal
I'm going to walk with God
I'm going to live for God
I'm going to get to know God
I'm going to decide like the Bible says here
about Josiah
while he was yet young
he began to seek the Lord
go with me if you would
I think you're there in 2 Chronicles
still in verse 34
look down at verse number
actually before you do that
let me just read this verse for you
you stay there in 2 Chronicles 34
here's Ecclesiastes 12.1
the Bible says this
remember now thy creator
in the days of thy youth
and you've got to make a decision
and look here's what I'm saying
to all of the young people here tonight
and all of the parents that are raising young people in their home
we've got to help
and encourage our young people
to decide
that they're going to make their faith personal
and every young person here tonight
listen to me
I'd love for you to make the decision tonight
you don't have to make the decision tonight
but at some point between tonight and the day
that you venture off into
the world on your own
under your own authority or under a new home
you have to decide
what are you going to do about God
what are you going to do about Christianity
what are you going to do about your faith
what are you going to do about these things that have been handed out
you must make
number one, your faith
personal
but I'd like to give you a second statement
and we'll try to move quickly
number one, you must make your faith personal
number two, what does every
young person need to do
number two, you must
develop a daily
devotional life
you must develop a daily devotional life
by the way
that's not just for young people that's for everybody
you've got to decide
that you're going to develop a daily
devotional life
are you there in 2nd Chronicles 34?
okay, we're still with Josiah
we're not just going to talk about Josiah tonight
but we're there with Josiah
I want you to notice what the Bible highlights
about this young man Josiah
2nd Chronicles 34 says this
then Shaphan the scribe told the king
saying, Hilkiah the priest had given me a book
and I won't take the time to read
the context, you can read it on your own
but if you remember, Josiah
has ordered to have the temple
repaired and in the process of them
refurbishing the temple
and getting things cleaned up
they actually found the book of the law
of the Lord given by Moses
can you imagine that?
you go to the house of God and you find
the book of God
they found the book, look at the last part of verse 18
and Shaphan read it
before the king
and even though this is a real story
a physical story, this literally happened
I think this is an illustration
of how it usually happens
in the Christian life, because for those of you
that were not raised in a Christian home
isn't this true? You started coming to church
before you started reading the Bible
usually it's not the other way around
in fact most people who are not consistent
to church are not going to be consistent
with Bible reading because usually
it's when you come to the house of God
then you understand and you find
the importance of the word of God
so they found the book
and they read it before the king
this is Josiah
look down at verse 30
and the king went up into the house of the Lord
and all the men of Judah
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and the priests and the Levites and all the people
great and small and he, this is Josiah
look at what it says
and he, Josiah, read in their ears
all the words of the book of the covenant
that was found in the house of the Lord
let me read it again
the Bible says here
that he read
he read
in all their ears
all the words of the book of the covenant
that was found in the house of the Lord
verse 31
and the king stood in his place
and made a covenant before the Lord
to walk after the Lord
and to keep his commandments
and his testimonies and his statues
with all his heart and with all his soul
to perform the words of the covenant
which are written in this book
here's what's interesting
he read the book
of the covenant of life
and look you're going to have to make a decision
that you're going to develop
a daily devotional life
here we have a young man
a young person
that got a hold of the Bible
and it changed the trajectory of his life
and I'm here to tell you young people
that the word of God has the answers
to every question of life
the word of God has the answers
to everything to help you
and to bless you and to guide you
the Bible says that it is a lamp
and it guides us
it's a lamp before our feet
and a light unto our path
and the Bible says that if you read the Bible
and you apply the Bible
and you learn the Bible
that it will bless you and it will help you
and it will prosper you and it will guide you
Psalm 1 says
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly
nor standeth in the way of sinners
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful
but his delight is in the law of the Lord
thus he meditate day and night
and he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season
his leaf also shall not wither
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper
God wants to help you
God wants to guide you
it doesn't mean you won't have troubles
it doesn't mean you won't have battles
it doesn't mean you won't have issues
but God wants to help you
and the way that he can help you
allowing the word of God to guide you
but you can't do that if you don't read it
see when you read it
it will renew you
and it will renew your mind
Paul said
I beseech you therefore brother by the mercies of God
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice
wholly acceptable unto God
which is your reasonable service
and be not conformed to this world
but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind
you all know why we have Christians today
that are conformed to the image of the world
simple
they are conformed to the image of the world
because they are not transformed
by the renewing of their mind
and you young people
need to make a decision
that you are going to develop
a daily devotional life
and right now is the time for you to start
gathering and making those habits
and those patterns in your life
well you take time to read the Bible
and you take time to pray
and you take time to memorize
and you take time to learn the word of God
and I promise you
that as you learn it
and as you understand it
and as you apply it
it will bless your life
so I said number one
you must make your faith personal
number two
you must develop a daily devotional life
let me give you another example
go to Genesis 39
Genesis 39 the first book in the Bible
should be fairly easy to find
Genesis 39
now I can look down at verse number one
here we have another great example
of a young person
that served God with his life
one of the greatest characters
in all the Bible
a young man by the name of Joseph
now we are there in Genesis 39
but when we met Joseph
in Genesis 37
he was 17 years old
I think 17 years old
is one of the greatest ages
of all your life
honestly
17 years old
was when my wife got saved
and 17 years old
was when both her
obviously getting saved and even myself
really got serious about some of the things of the Lord
I think that 17 is a great age
you are kind of real late
in those teen years
but you are not an adult
just yet
and it is just a great time
to begin to serve God
we meet Joseph there at 17 years old
in chapter 37
and verse 39
excuse me verse 1
the Bible says this
and Joseph was brought down to Egypt
and Potiphar
an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard
and Joseph bought him
of the hands of the Ishmaelites
which had brought him down hither
you know the story
he had been sold into slavery by his brothers
they were envious
but I want you to notice verse 2
and the Lord was with Joseph
see it is possible for a young person
to walk with God
and to have the presence of the Lord
there in their lives
and you say, pastor, if you knew my life
and if you knew my trauma
and yet my parents had me here
but if you knew how things were at home
you wouldn't understand
listen to me
I think we could say that Joseph had a little trauma in his home
he had a little trauma
and he had a little trauma
and he had a whole lot of problems
but the Lord was with him
and the Bible says
look at it, look at it
and the Lord was with
Joseph, don't miss it
and he was a prosperous man
and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian
and his master saw
that the Lord was with him
look, it is repeated again for emphasis
the Lord was with him
and that the Lord made all that he did
to prosper in his hand
you know why God wants to prosper
those that walk with him
because when people can look at you
and identify
there is something different about that young man
there is something different about that young lady
they walk with God
the Lord is with them
the hand of God is upon them
then when God prospers you
all glory goes to God
and here the Bible says
the Lord was with him
and he was a prosperous man
the Bible says in verse 3
and his master saw that the Lord was with him
and the Lord made all that he did
to prosper in his hand
look at verse 23, same chapter
the keeper of the prison
things are getting even worse for Joseph
look not to anything
that was under his hand
look at it because the Lord
was with him
and that
which he did
the Lord made it to prosper
I'm here to tell you
there is no better life
than the life
that you live walking with God
and it doesn't mean
that they might not sell you into slavery
and it doesn't mean that they might not
lie about you and get you cast to prison
it doesn't mean, I'm not preaching
a prosperity gospel here
I'm not saying heartaches won't come
and trials won't come and troubles won't come
but there is something
about knowing
that you are walking with God
and that the Lord is with you
so we see this young man Joseph
but here's the real reason I want you
to look at Joseph because we're looking at these
seven principles for young people
and these are seven principles that every young person needs to make
every young person
needs to make this decision
you need to decide what you're going to do
about your personal faith
don't talk to me about your dad's faith
don't talk to me about your mom's faith
don't talk to me about your pastor's faith
don't talk to me about your grandparents
what are you going to do with the Lord Jesus Christ?
you say well I got
I'm saved
okay, good start
I mean that's good
I think we can all agree with that
but you know that the Christian life
is more than just salvation
if all you do is get saved
praise God, we'll see you in heaven I guess
but what about all the years
between salvation and death
what will you do
with your faith?
you must decide that
you must decide to make your faith personal
you must develop a daily
devotional life, listen to me
and this is not just for young people
this is for old people
young people, old people
and everything in between
there are two types of Christians
in this life, those who read the Bible
and those who don't
and you will hinder your walk
with God if you do not
learn to develop
a daily consistent
routine of Bible reading
and prayer and walking with God
and spending time with God every day
so you must develop
a daily devotional life
and I want to give you the third
principle tonight
we're talking about seven principles
for young people, number one
you must make your faith personal
number two, you must develop a daily devotional life
here's number three, you must maintain
personal purity
and standards
you must maintain
personal purity
and standards
I want you to notice this young man Joseph
he's been sold into slavery
he's down at Potiphar's house
the Bible says there, if you're there in Genesis 39
look at verse 7
and it came to pass after these things
that his master's wife cast her eyes
upon Joseph and she said
lie with me
look at verse 8
mark these words in your Bible
but he refused
and said unto his master's wife
behold my master wadeth not what is with me in the house
and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand
there is none greater in this house than I
neither have they kept back anything from me
but thee because thou art his wife
how then can I do this great wickedness
and then don't miss it, look at this
this is what the young man who the Bible says
walked with God
this is what the young man who the Bible says
had a walk with the Lord
and the Lord was with him
how can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God
see this is a young man
who had determined to maintain
personal purity and standards
let me say this young people
you need to decide
that you're going to maintain purity
with regards to the opposite sex
here, this young man
and by the way
we've already talked about it
he's that drama
he's been taken from his home
and he's away from mom and dad
and he could have been bitter
he could have been angry
he could have said well maybe this is just how it should be
and he could have made any excuse
but the Bible says that he refused
and he said, he said
how can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God
look at verse 10
and it came to pass after she spake to Joseph day by day
that he hearkened not unto her
to lie by her or to be with her
and it came to pass about this time
that Joseph went into the house to do his business
and there was none of the men
of the house there within
and she, look at verse 12, Genesis 3 and 9
and she caught him
by his garment saying
lie with me and he left his garment
in her hand and fled
and got him out
you know what the Bible says?
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6 18
Flee fornication
that's what Joseph did
he left his garment in her hand and fled
and got him out
he fled, the Bible says flee fornication
and he made a decision
to maintain his purity
the Bible says flee fornication
and young people, you're going to have to make
a decision
that says I will maintain purity
and I will maintain standards
maintain purity
with regards
to the opposite sex
now you're not
there, I'm just reading this to you
but let me read it to you
1 Corinthians 6 18
Flee fornication
Why does God say flee fornication?
Every sin that a man doeth
is without the body
but he that committed fornication
sinneth against his own body
The Bible here is telling us
that sins
of a sexual nature
are different
than other sins
and other sins
they're without the body
but when you commit fornication
you sin against your own body
and I'm just here to tell you young people
that you need to make a decision
that you're going to maintain personal purity
and standards
specifically with regards to the opposite sex
and here's
here's why I think you should
now I think you should just because the Bible says you should
but remember God does not just
tell us to do things
just because he wants to mess with us
now if God tells us to do things
we should obey without question
but everything that God tells us to do
there's a reason for it, he wants to bless us
he wants to help us
my wife and I started Verity Baptist Church
a little bit less than 14 years ago
here in September
we'll be celebrating 14 years of ministry
and in the last 14 years of ministry
you know what I've learned
about marriage
I've done a lot of marriage counseling
my wife has helped
with marriage counseling
I've talked to husbands
she's talked to wives
I've at times talked to husbands and wives
as they've had issues in marriage
I'm sure
like most pastors do
and what I've learned about
marriage problems
is that there's really not
that many marriage problems
you know what I mean?
like there's not that many marriage
like you say what's a marriage problem
like he keeps forgetting
to put the seat down
that's a marriage problem
you know whether you squeeze
the toothpaste
you know from the front or from the back
whether you roll it
that's a marriage problem
the clothes don't make it exactly
into the damn
you know the place where the
dirty clothes
that's a marriage problem
but you know what I've learned?
I've learned that there's really not a lot
of marriage problems but you know what there is a lot of?
there's a lot of
single people problems
there's a lot of
single people baggage
there's a lot of
single people
there's a lot of single people
trauma
there's a lot of single
people habits
there's a lot of single
people addictions
there's a lot of single
people sin
that they then carry
into their marriage
and most of the so called
marriage problems
I'm sure there are maybe some marriage problems
I don't mean to make it light
but most of the so called marriage
problems are not marriage problems
at all they're single people
problems that they brought into their marriage
there's scars and trauma
and regret
that they brought into their marriage
addictions they brought into their marriage
habits they brought into their marriage
philosophies they brought into their marriage
attitudes they brought into their marriage
ways of thinking they brought into their marriage
and it causes
problems in
their marriage
and young people nobody
here is telling you
that we don't want you to
enjoy the relationship that God
has ordained to be in joy
between two
married members of the opposite
sex but what
we're telling you is that if you wait
till marriage then
you can enjoy it
without the drama without
the trauma without the regrets
without the scars
without all the shame and without
all those things that come into marriages
and destroy marriages and hinder
marriages
and I'm just telling you
young people right now
if you decide
to maintain
personal purity like
Joseph he fled
flee fornication
your
married version of you
will thank you for it
your future
spouse will
thank you for it
and you've got to decide
you've got to decide
am I going to do what everybody else is doing?
am I going to do what the devil is
trying to advocate everybody
else do? am I going
to go down the road of what everybody else
is doing? am I going to do that? or
are you going to make a decision
to maintain personal purity
and standards not when you're married
start now before
you're married
start now
I'm here to tell you
you've got to decide to have
purity with regards to the opposite sex
but let me say this as well
go to Daniel if you would, Daniel chapter 1
if you start
at the end of the Old Testament you've got the major
prophets there Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations
Ezekiel, Daniel
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
I don't know if you've noticed this but with
each one of these seven principles I'm trying
to highlight a different young person
in the Bible
so you young people just know this
I'm not teaching you
a principle, one of these seven principles
and giving you an old person as an example
I'm teaching you these seven principles
and giving you a young person in the Bible
as each of these examples
we've seen Josiah, we've seen
Joseph
now let's look at Daniel
Daniel is one of the greatest characters in the Bible
and obviously
we follow him through into old age
but he began at a very young age
Daniel chapter 1 and verse 8
the Bible says this
but Daniel purpose
in his heart that he would not defile
himself with a portion of the king's meat
nor with the wine
which he drank
therefore he requested of the prince
of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself
the Bible says that Daniel purpose
in his heart that he would not defile
himself and young people
you need to decide to maintain purity
with regards to the opposite sex
but let me say this, you need to decide
to maintain standards with regards
to oppressing sin
you
need to decide like Daniel
you must purpose in your heart
that you would not defile yourself with alcohol
that you will not defile yourself
with marijuana
that you will not defile yourself with drugs
that you will not defile yourself
with pornography
that you will not defile yourself with any of these things
because again, listen to me
look
I've been doing this 14 years
I've had a lot of conversations
and obviously I would never
give details of individuals
but I'm telling you, I know what I'm talking about
and here's what I know
I'm not going to say 100%
I don't know that it's 100%
but here's what I know
99%
of people who struggle
with drugs and alcohol
and some sort of addiction in their lives
that they struggle with
for the rest of their lives
it began in their youth
they were exposed to it in their youth
in their youth
when you pastor for 14 years
and you need to help a 40 year old man
quit some addiction
it usually began not when he was 40
but when he was 14
now there may be an exception
I'm not saying there's not an exception
maybe there's somebody out there who just
became some sort of an addict of something
you know, as an old person
but by and large, it begins
in your youth
I'm not going to offend you, I'm really not
the reason that this often happens
is because you're still developing
your mind's still developing
even in these young ages
and it can be a little misleading
because you look at a teenager
and their bodies look big and strong
and healthy and tall
and they look mature
but you've not yet fully matured in your brain
and this is why young people
can be even more susceptible
to these types of things
than even an older person
again, I'm not saying that older people should be drinking
or smoking or whatever
but what I'm saying to you
is that why does mom have so many rules
why does dad have so many rules
why can't pastor just get off my back
why do they have all these standards and all these rules
listen to me
we're just trying, I actually have this agenda
that if we can just keep you safe
from 13 to 19 years old
if you can make it to 19 years old
never have drank alcohol
never have tried drugs
never have done any of those things
it's very possible that you just won't
that you'll grow up
and mature enough to realize
hey that was stupid, I'm glad I never did that
and by the way
churches are filled with 30 year olds
that finally one day woke up
and said this is stupid
why have I wasted the last 20 years of my life
15 years of my life
18 years of my life
and you can bypass all of that
you can bypass all of that
but young people you're going to have to make a decision
to maintain personal purity and standards
you're going to have to decide
and don't you say
that's what old people do
Joseph wasn't old
Daniel wasn't old and he purpose in his heart
that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king's meat
you can make the decision
you must make the decision
to maintain personal purity
let me give you the next one
go to 2 Samuel chapter 13
I think you're there in 2 Chronicles
if you go backwards you have 1 Chronicles
2 Kings, 1 Kings, 2 Samuel
2 Samuel chapter 13
and by the way if you are an old person
it's doing those stupid things
knock it off, stop it, get the help you need
it's stupid
we're talking about principles for young people
number one, make your faith personal
number two, develop a daily devotional life
number three, maintain personal purity standards
and standards, number four
you must have sharpening friendships
2 Samuel 13 and verse 1
the Bible says this, and it came to pass after this
here's a story for you
I won't go through the whole thing
but I want you to see it
that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister
whose name was Tamar
Tamar
and Amnon
the son of David
excuse me, Tamar and Amnon the son of David
loved her
and I won't go into all the details
but Tamar is the half sister of Amnon
full sister of Absalom
and the Bible says that Amnon the son of David
loved her, loved Tamar, verse 2
and Amnon was vexed
the word vexed means he was irritated, distressed
annoyed, he was vexed
that he fell sick for his sister Tamar
and she was a virgin
and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her
what that phrase means
that he thought it hard to do anything to her
is that though he had a wicked desire
though he had a wicked thing that he wanted to do
he was not prepared to act on it
in fact, he was not going to act on it
he wanted to
but he thought it hard
the Bible says
he thought it hard, the Bible says
to do anything to her
now if that's where the story ended
period, we'd be like
okay, well, we dodged the bullet there
praise the Lord
and hopefully this young person
matures and realizes that that's stupidity
but that's not where the story ends
because
in 2 Samuel 13 and verse 3
the Bible says this
but Amnon had a friend
you ought to mark that in your Bible
but Amnon had a friend
in fact, you young people
I think tattoos are stupid
I think tattoos are ugly
I think tattoos are something that young people get
because they're not mature enough to realize
that one day
that cool tattoo
on that nice
you know, tight skin of yours
is going to
not look like that
in a few decades
and all of a sudden
that beautiful butterfly
is going to look like a pterodactyl
and
all those cool things
you know, we're going to look at you and be like
what is wrong with you
but
if you want to get a tattoo
and if you're just hell-bent
on getting a tattoo
hell-bent on getting a tattoo
and you want
you know, for whatever it's worth
I think tattoos are bad
and I'm joking
I don't think anybody should get a tattoo
but if you're going to get a tattoo
you know, I'll give you a tattoo
I'll tattoo this on your forehead
but Amnon had a friend
because if you're going to get a tattoo
maybe you should at least get a tattoo
that can be helpful to you
and
to realize this
here's statement number four
you must have sharpening friendships
because your friends
your friends
will have an influence on your life
but Amnon had a friend
whose name was Jonadab
the son of Shimei
David's brother
Jonadab was a very subtle man
look down at verse 11
just for sake of time
the Bible says in verse 11
and when she had brought them
unto him to eat
because of Amnon
because of Jonadab and Amnon
and that friendship
they devised a plan
and the Bible says there in verse 11
he took hold of her
and said unto her
come lie with me my sister
come lie with me for no such thing
ought to be done in Israel
do not thou this folly
look at verse 14
howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice
but being stronger than she
forced her and lay with her
and the story ends
with Amnon dead
at the hands of Absalom
his brother
for forcing and raping
his sister Tamar
and his so-called friend Jonadab
accusing him to David and ratting him out
and by the way
after he finally has this physical relationship
he was so in love
the Bible says that he was vexed
he was in love and then the Bible says he hated her
and the hate
wherewith he hated her was stronger than the love that he loved her
how can that be?
it is because the physical relationship is not meant
to be experienced outside of marriage
and when it is, you know what it brings?
is guilt and shame
now he looks at this young lady who he thought he loved
now he hates her
the entire trajectory of this young man
changed because of this
Amnon had a friend
you know what the Bible says?
the Bible says in Proverbs 27-17
iron sharpeneth iron
so a man sharpeneth
the countenance of his friends
listen young people, you need to make a decision
that you are going to have sharpening friendships
that you are going to have friends that make you better
that you are going to have friends that encourage you
that sharpen you
that help make you better
show me your friends and I will show you your future
your friends will determine
the quality of your life
your friends will determine the direction of your life
your friends are going to have an impact
on your life
so you better decide to have some good friends
do not Amnon
do not allow a Jonadab
to influence you
down the wrong path
and by the way
don't be a Jonadab
don't be the rotten apple
that is making the entire cart
go corrupt
you need to decide
look, you need to decide
because your friends will influence you
you will be the sum total of your friendships
and if your friends are a bunch of losers
if your friends are a bunch of drug addicts
if your friends are a bunch of fornicators
if your friends are a bunch of freaks
that is what you will be
and it will ruin your life
and you will wake up
if you are really saved, if you are actually saved
if you are actually saved
don't forget
that you have a heavenly father
whom the Lord loveth, he chaseneth
and scourges every son whom he receiveth
the Bible says
if you be without chastisement
then you are a bastard
not a son
so one day you are going to wake up
and realize
I have wasted my life
or you can listen to a sermon like this
and get some good friends
get some friends that influence you in the right direction
I am just saying
young people, you do what you want
I am just trying to help you
and you need to decide
that you are going to make your faith personal
that you are going to develop
a daily devotional life
that you are going to maintain personal purity and standards
and that you are going to have sharpening friends
go to 2 Chronicles 24
2 Chronicles 24
let me give you number 5
I have to move quickly
here is number 5
if you happen to be taking notes
you must submit to God
and to God given authority
you must submit to God
and to God given authority
you know what the Bible says?
well let me just
give you the story
2 Chronicles 24
look at verse 1
notice what the Bible says
Joash, remember I am giving you all these examples
from young people in the Bible
Joash was 7 years old
when he began to reign
and he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem
his mother's name also was Zeba of Beersheba
and Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord
all the days of Jehoiada the priest
now I don't have time to develop the story
you can read it on your own
but Joash, his dad is dead
his family is dead
his siblings have all died
he has actually been kept in hiding
by this priest Jehoiada
and Jehoiada is like his dad
it is his God given authority
he is under the authority of Jehoiada
and the Bible says that
that which was right in the sight of the Lord
all the days of Jehoiada the priest
now let me just begin by saying
that is a good thing
that is a positive statement
you know young people
you need to decide that you are going to submit
to your God given authority
and I thank God that Joash did
God has placed individuals
that are your God given authority
and by the way this is just for young people
it is for everybody
if you are a young person living at home
your God given authority are your parents
but you know
husbands that go to work
in the sphere of work
their God given authority is their boss
church members that go to church
within the scope of church
obviously we understand that we do not lord over God's heritage
but within the scope of church
your God given authority is your pastor
why the Bible says
obey them that have the rule over you
and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls
God must give account that they may do it with joy
not with grief for that is unprofitable for you
God doesn't ask you to do anything
that is not meant to help you
so in the scope of young people
hey young people
your job is to submit
to your God given authority
here is what the Bible says
Ephesians chapter 6
you have to turn around and just read this
it says children obey your parents in the Lord
for this is right
the Bible says that children ought to obey their parents in the Lord
children ought to obey their parents in the Lord
now here is what is interesting to me
here we have two verses that have to do with
God given authority
but my opinion is
that these two verses actually deal
with two different seasons
of that authority
in verse 1 it says
children obey your parents in the Lord
for this is right
I believe that that is talking to young people
children who are under the authority
of their parents living at home
under the roof of their parents
they are to obey your parents in the Lord
for this is right
but then in verse 2 it says
honor thy father and mother
which is the first commandment with promise
I believe that verse 2 applies
to children who are no longer
under the authority of their parents
and not living under the roof
of their parents
does God expect you to obey your mom and dad
once you get married
and establish your own home
obey your parents in the Lord
for this is right
children obey your parents in the Lord
that is talking about when you are living under the roof of your parents
but you know that once you leave
the home
there is still
a command to honor your parents
now there is lots that can be said
about that
I am not going to take the time to develop that
in fact I believe that a lot of that has to do
with taking care of your parents financially
in their older age
but obviously
honor has to do with respecting your parents
giving them respect
giving them honor
now you say well why should I care about that
well I mean
just because you are a good normal person
you should care about that
but if that is not the case let me give you
a selfish reason why you should care about that
look at verse 2
honor thy father and mother
which is the first commandment with promise
now it is not the first commandment
of the ten commandments
it is actually the fifth commandment
but it is the first commandment
that has a promise associated to it
because remember
God does not ask you to do anything
that won't prosper you
God does not ask you to do anything
that won't help you
and God says
honor your parents you say why
and he says here is why verse 3
that it may be well with thee
and that thou mayest live
long on the earth
do you know that there is a blessing
associated with obeying your parents
if you live under their authority
and honoring your parents
when you don't
and God says that it may be
God says I will bless you
I will bless you
that it may be well with thee
he says
and that thou mayest live long on the earth
now please don't misunderstand what I am about to say
because what I am about to say
could be it is a whole sermon
and I hope you are mature enough to get what I am saying
you and I
we are going to die whenever God decides to
and as it is appointed unto men
who wants to die but after this is judgment
and I think that
we should eat healthy and exercise
and all those things I think that is good
obviously you reap what you sow
if you just smoke your whole life
and then you get lung cancer
sorry I am not picking on you
but that shouldn't be a surprise
but you know what God says
God says
that if you obey your parents
and you honor your parents
he says there is a promise associated
that it will be well with thee
and that thou mayest live long on the earth
and I don't know what that necessarily entails
but I will tell you this
I want that
so therefore I honor my parents
Pastor Jimenez you are 30
I don't know how old I am
38 years old
you are a pastor of a church
you still honor your parents
yeah my parents go to my church
and I do my best to honor
to respect them
to make them proud
to make them happy
part of that is just because I love them
most of that is because I love them
but part of it
but part of it has a little selfish reason in there
that I want it to be well with me
I want God to bless me
and to let me live long on the earth
if it's his will
and here is what I would be afraid of
I would be afraid of that if you are a nightmare
to your parents at home young people
and you are rebelling and disobeying
and being a rebellious brat
I would be afraid that the opposite
of that blessing is also true
I would also be afraid
that you reap what you sow
and one day you are going to have a brat at home
and here is all I am saying
I am just saying
that you should honor your God given authority
and by the way that is true
of anyone
man you go to work
you say my boss is incompetent
he is an idiot
he doesn't know what he is doing
well then why are you working for him?
but if you are working for him
the good and the gentle
also to the forward
you just submit to your
God given authority
you just, ladies
you say my husband is an idiot
and why did you marry him?
you know why you married him?
just to the young people
because there was probably a mom and a dad
and a pastor saying don't do it
don't marry him he is an idiot
he is a loser and you didn't listen
that's
I got a lot of those stories too
but here is what I am telling you
our job is just to submit
to our God given authority
obviously if your God given authority
asks you to sin
then we obey God rather than men
you don't just
you submit
within the realms of
you don't sin against God
obviously the Bible teaches these concepts
but young people
you need to decide to submit
to your God given authority
now good on Joash
Joash did that but you know that
that statement 2nd Corinthians 24
though there is a positive element
and Joash did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiadah
his priest that's a good thing
you know it's actually a negative statement
and here is why it's a negative
because he only did right
in the sight of the Lord
all of the days of Jehoiadah
the priest
here is how 2nd King says it
2nd King says this
and Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord
all his days were in Jehoiadah
the priest instructed him
but here is the thing
look at verse 17
2nd Chronicles 24 verse 17
now after the death of Jehoiadah
came princess of Judah
here is your bad friends
and made obeisance
to the king
this is Joash
then the king hearkened unto them
and they left the house of the Lord God
of their fathers and served groves
and idols and wrath came upon Judah
and Jerusalem for their trespass
yet he sent prophets to them
to bring them again unto the Lord
and they testified against them
but they would not give ear
you know the problem
with Joash
the problem with Joash
he did not submit to his God given authority
the problem was
that when his God given authority died
and they were no longer on the scene
he did not
transition
his submission
from his God given authority
to his ultimate authority
which is God himself
see our job
mom and dad
is not to have our children submit to us
for the sake of submitting to us
is for us to teach them to submit
to us as their God given authority
that they might one day transition
that submission from us
to God
so when I was a kid
I went to church because my parents made me
I lived in the kind of home
and I'm thankful for it
where we went to church Sunday morning, Sunday night
Wednesday night, no questions asked
we went soul winning every week
I never got up on a Sunday and said
I wonder what we're doing today
exactly what we were doing
when I was a kid we played little league
my parents allowed us to play little league
I played baseball
they had in those days
I don't know how it is now
they had games on Saturdays
and they had games on Wednesdays
and it was just a known thing
the games started at 4pm on Wednesday
games started at 5pm on Wednesday
we could play right until about 6.40
and then we were packing up our stuff
you say why?
because we're going to church
because we're going to seek you first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness
and God doesn't ask you to seek
God first without
promising you a blessing
seek you first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness and all these things
shall be added unto you
but you know one day
I got married
and I left the home and I was no longer
under the authority of my parents
and nobody got me up on a Sunday morning
and said go to church
but I got up on a Sunday morning
and my wife and I got up on a Sunday morning
and we went to church even though nobody was telling us to
because we transitioned our authority
from our parents to God
and young people
young people you need to make a decision
that says yes while I'm at home
living at home
I'll submit to my God given authority
but don't miss the fact that you should then
transition that authority
your ultimate authority
transition that submission
to your ultimate authority
which is God himself
which is God
the problem
with Joash
is that when Jehoiada died
he went off the rails
and young people you must decide
that you will submit to God
and your God given authority
you'll submit to the God given authority
and you'll submit to God
as your ultimate authority
I've got to hurry, I've got two more
let's do them quickly, go to 2 Kings chapter 5
we're talking about 7 principles for young people
number 1, you must make your faith personal
number 2, you must develop a daily devotional life
number 3, you must maintain personal purity and standards
number 4, you must have sharpening friendships
number 5, you must submit to God
and your God given authority, here's number 6
you must serve God
and serve others
you must serve God and serve others
2 Kings chapter 5 and verse 1
let's just read it quickly
the Bible says
here's this little maid, we don't know her name
we don't know how old she was, we just know she was a little maid
I take that to assume
maybe she was a young lady, I don't know
maybe she was a midget, I don't know
but she was a little maid
and she waited on Naaman's wife
and she said unto her mistress
would God my Lord were the prophet
were with the prophet
that is in Samaria
for he would recover him of the leprosy
and one went in and told his Lord saying
thus and thus said the maid
that is of the land of Israel
I want you to notice this little maid
she was taken captive by Naaman
taken captive by Naaman
but notice she was neither bitter at God
nor Naaman
she submitted to her God given authority
which was Naaman
and she served him
she served God
and she served others
and here's the thing
young people
and I hope it's okay
I've already been preaching for an hour
and I'm just going to go a little longer
I hope that's okay
you've had Pastor Shelley and Pastor Thompson
so somebody has to preach longer
so just give me a few minutes
but the thing with teens
you know you young people
you are in a transitional phase
transitional phase of life
where you're not a child
you're not a child
but you're not quite an adult yet
you're just kind of in between
you're in this transitional phase
to adulthood
now here's what I want you to understand
you need to transition
out of selfishness
because when you're a baby
life is all about you
isn't that true?
babies don't care
they don't care how long you've slept
they don't care
mom, if you've had lunch yet
if you've had lunch yet, they don't care
they want what they want
and literally when you're a baby
your life revolves around you
but you know when you're a toddler
when you're a toddler
life is still pretty much about you, isn't it?
but it's a little less
than when you were a baby
I mean a little less
but it's a little less
when you're a toddler but it's still pretty much about you
it's about fun
and then when you're a young child
life is still a lot about you
and fun
but it's less, isn't it true?
that it's less than when you were a toddler
and it's less than when you were a baby
and when you're
an older child
you know, now you're 9, 10
11 years old
now things really start picking up
because now you can vacuum
and do the dishes
and life is becoming less and less about you
definitely less and less
than when you were a toddler
and when you were a baby
well listen to me
do you know that true significance is found in serving others
and the people
the adults that live their lives
to serve God and to serve others
are the happiest, most content people in this world
it's the truth
and what you need to be doing
as a young person is deciding
that you're going to transition out of selfishness
into serving God and serving others
find somewhere to serve
find something to do
say well I don't know what to do
you can go soul winning
I don't know what to do
you can find something to serve
something to do
some place to help
this little maid was working
and serving and when she could
she served God and she served
her master Naaman
young people you must decide
you must decide that you're not going to be
a 30 year old that lives his life
like a 3 year old
selfish and all about himself
and right now is the time
to begin to transition
you know what would shock your parents
you want to shock your parents
take the trash out without being asked to
help your younger siblings
without being asked to
by the way, you know
people often they like to complain
I wish I had more freedom, I wish I had more responsibility
you start doing some things like that
you'll be surprised how much your parents
will start giving you some freedom
and some responsibility
because the less you act like a baby
the less you need to be treated like a baby
and look this is just reality of life
so you must serve God and serve others
let me give you the last one, we'll finish up
go back to Daniel chapter 1 if you want
Daniel chapter 1
we're going to go to Daniel and we'll go to Joshua
and then we'll finish up, Daniel chapter 1
we're talking about 7 principles for young people
number 1, you must make your faith personal
number 2, you must develop a daily devotional life
number 3, you must maintain personal purity and standards
number 4, you must have sharpening friendships
number 5, you must submit to God
and to your God given authority
number 6, you must serve God and serve others
here's number 7
you must learn to take the high road
you say what do you mean by that?
well look at Daniel chapter 1
remember Daniel and his friends
in verse 18 the Bible says
now at the end of the days
this is 3 years
that the king had said he should bring them in
then the prince of the eunuchs
brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar
and the king communed with them
and among them all
was found none like
among them all
was found none like
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael
and Azariah therefore
stood they before the king
and in all matters of wisdom and understanding
the king inquired of them
notice what the Bible says here
he found them 10 times better
10 times better
than all the magicians
and astrologers that were in all
his realm and Daniel continued
even into the first year of king Cyrus
I want you to notice here
that when Nebuchadnezzar brought all these young people together
he realized
that there were these 4 young people
that stood out
he said these young people
are better than everyone else
they are not like everyone else
they are not common, they are not mediocre
they are not average
and then he says they are not 1 times better
they are not 2 times better
they are 10 times better
how does that happen?
you must decide young people
that you are going to take the high road
see, often times
the question that young people like to ask
is this, well what's wrong with it?
don't do that
well what's wrong with that?
don't go there, well what's wrong with that?
don't hang out with those people
what's wrong with it?
but that's the wrong question
now a better question would be
what's right with it?
but even that's not the best question
see, instead of trying to decide
between right and wrong
why not decide
between right and best?
you know what the Bible says?
the Bible says, see then
that ye walk circumspectly
not as fools
everyone else is dressing like fools
everyone else is drinking like fools
everyone else is smoking like fools
everyone else is listening to fools music
everyone else is fornicating like fools
not as fools, but as wise
hey, instead of asking the question
what's wrong with it?
why not ask the question
what's the best choice?
what's the wise choice?
what's the choice that would make others
look at you and say
they're not just better, they're 10 times better
10 times better!
or would we look at you
and say, you're like everyone else
a fool like everyone else
young people, you need to make the decision
that you're going to take the high road
go to Joshua chapter 2, we'll be done
I apologize for taking as long as I did
Joshua chapter 2
and here's what I'm saying to you young people
if you make your faith personal
if you develop daily devotional life
if you maintain personal purity and standards
if you have sharpening friendships
if you submit to God and to your God-given authority
if you serve God and serve others
you will be on the high road
the world will look at you and say
something different about that one
you know why God, you know what's interesting to me?
you know what's interesting to me?
is that in the Bible, all the young people
highlighted in the Bible all got promoted
in the world
Joseph became second to the king of Egypt
most powerful man on earth
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
Esther, David
all the young people that served God
prospered, you know why God prospered them?
for his glory
what if we just go out and make a lot of money
and be successful by the world's standards
but if you look like the world
act like the world
blend in with the world
how does God get the glory?
you ought to be ten times better
you ought to take the high road
Joshua chapter 2, look at verse 7
we'll look at verse 7 and verse 10
we'll be done
and the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua
that was their God given authority
and all the days of the elders
that outlived Joshua
who had seen all the great works of the Lord
that he did for Israel
and here's what we're trying to avoid
listen to me young people
you listen to a sermon like this
you listen to your parents
you know that all they're trying to help you avoid
is regrets
all they're trying to help you avoid is scars
all they're trying to help you avoid
all they're trying to help you avoid is trauma
and drama
that will haunt you
for the rest of your life
you know what we're trying to avoid
is this, verse 10
and also
all that generation were gathered
unto their fathers
and there arose another generation
after them
which knew not the Lord
nor yet the works
which he had done for Israel
let it never be said
a faithful word Baptist church
let it never be said
a verity Baptist church
let it never be said
of your home and of my home
that there arose
a generation
which knew not the Lord
you know what we want?
we want David's that will fight
the Lord's battles
we want Daniel's that will stand alone
Joseph's that will live for God
Josiah's that will seek God
and walk with God
but we can't force it
you've got to decide
let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer
Heavenly Father
Lord the Bible says
that the word of God is quick and powerful
and sharper than any two-edged sword
piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit
and Lord I pray that you would use your word
tonight to pierce the hearts
of the Lord
to pierce the hearts
of young people sitting in this room
parents sitting in this room
young people and parents
that might listen to this sermon
on the internet in the future
Lord I pray
that you would help us
to raise a generation that would serve you
love you
walk with you
and honor you with their lives
Lord help us to help them
in any way we can
in the matchless name
of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray
Amen
Amen let's take our song books together
go to hymn 401
hymn number 401
401 set my soul on fire
we'll sing it out on that first verse together
401 set my soul on fire
Lord for thy holy words
sing it out now
set my soul on fire
Lord
for thy holy
word
burn in
deep within
me
let your voice be
heard
millions
grow in darkness
in this
day and
hour
I will be your
witness
will be with
thy power
set
my soul on fire
Lord
set my soul
on fire
make my life
a witness
of my
saving
God
millions grow
in darkness
waiting for
thy word
set my
soul on fire
Lord
set my soul
on fire
set my
soul on fire
Lord
for the lost and
saved
give to me
a passion
as I
seek to win
help me
not to falter
never
let me
fail
will be with
thy spirit
let
thy will prevail
set
my soul
on fire
Lord
set my soul
on fire
make my life
a witness
of my saving
God
millions
grow in darkness
waiting for
thy word
set my
soul on fire
Lord
set my soul
on fire
set my
soul on fire
Lord
live my daily
life
far too long
I've wondered
in this
day of
strife
nothing else
will matter
but to live
for me
I will be
your
fitness
as you live in
me
set my soul
on fire
Lord
set my soul
on fire
make my life
a witness
of my
saving God
millions
grow in darkness
waiting
for
thy word
set my
soul on fire
Lord
set my
soul on fire
Thank you for watching!