Transcript YOUNG MEN: SIMPLE, FOOLS OR WISE

MEN AND BOYS:
SIMPLE, FOOLISH OR WISE?
Dr. Jobe Martin
Biblical Discipleship Ministries
www.biblicaldiscipleship.org
www.evolutionofacreationist.com
www.creationproclaims.com
When does a man become a
man?
Historically men become men at
age 12-13
Examples: 1) Restaurant Menus: 12
and under
2) Medicine Bottles: Not for age 12 and
under
When does a man learn how
to be a man?
A man learns how
to be a man before
13 years of age!
LUKE 2:52
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• 52 “And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.”
Wisdom = Intellectual (Biblical knowledge applied)
Stature = Physical (Maturity)
Favor with God = Spiritual
Favor with man = Social
• This verse is when Jesus is about
12 years old!
JERRY ROSS ASKS: In what are
you known to be “increasing?”
• Football, basketball, baseball, track, etc.?
• Soul winning, academics, after-school-job,
musical instrument, Bible study, church, etc.?
• Boys, hair, boys, clothes, boys….?
• Honoring your parents, obedience, love….?
• Sports, fast-food, car, girl-friend, TV, money,
FACEBOOK, computer games, 2nd Life, etc.?
• Which of these pursuits best describes you?
JERRY ROSS ASKS: In what are
YOU known to be “increasing?”
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Football
Basketball
Baseball
Track
Soccer
Mathematics
Science
Computers
Godly sister/daughter
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Soul winning
Servant hood
Musical instrument
After-school-job
Godly brother/son
Bible Study
Facebook
Pride
Selfishness
LUKE 2:52
Jesus at age 12 was increasing in wisdom,
stature, favor with God and favor with men.
LUKE 2:49-51
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye
sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my
Father’s business? 50 And they understood not
the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And
he went down with them, and came to
Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his
mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
Jesus was subject to Joseph and Mary!
PROVERBS 12:15
15 The way of a fool is right in his own
eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto
counsel is wise.
So:
Listen to the counsel of your fellow
Christians, your siblings, your parents
and be wise!
• A Godly leader treats his
parents as his best
counselors!
• A Godly leader recognizes
that in order to be a wise
authority in the future, he must
learn to be under authority
now!
MARK 6:3
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of
Mary, the brother of James, and
Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and
are not his sisters here with us?
Jesus learned a wage-earning skill!
• If you call yourself a
Christian, are your
priorities the same as our
Lord Jesus?
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Are you in subjection to your parents?
Are you learning a wage-earning skill?
Are you increasing in favor with God?
Are you increasing in favor with people?
Are you taking care of yourself physically?
Are you maturing intellectually?
Can you look people in the eye while talking?
Are you growing in the grace and knowledge of
our Lord and His Word?
• Are you becoming wise in Godly living?
Godly Leadership
Leaders In Godliness, Holiness and Testimony
Shop, by Harold Malley
• A Godly leader does not choose
the easy way, but the right way!
• A Godly leader sees
farther down the road
than others!
• A Godly leader knows that
more is accomplished on his
knees than on his feet!
PROVERBS 4:5-7
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not;
neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee:
love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is
the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and
with all thy getting get understanding.
THE PRINCIPAL PRIORITY OF YOUTH =
GET WISDOM
Proverbs is primarily a dad talking to his son.
• Are you getting Godly
wisdom and putting that
wisdom into action in
your daily attitudes and
activities?
Worldview
• Your daily attitudes, decisions,
activities and behavior are the
outward display of your
worldview.
WHAT IS A WORLDVIEW?
Your worldview is your basic belief system.
Your worldview is the position you take regarding
the answers to the major questions in life such
as:
Does God exist and is He Good?
What can be known for sure?
Who am I; why am I here; where am I going?
What do I value; what is important to me?
Is there purpose and direction to life?
Behavior
Values
Respect for life
Wealth
Truth
“Fruit of the Spirit”
Happiness
Health
Loyalty
Worldview
www.summit.org
Summit Ministries
Manitou Spgs. CO
A set of beliefs or ideas / a system of thought
Ethics
Sociology
Theology
Philosophy
Biology
Psychology
Politics
Economics
Law
History
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Proverbs 23:7
• What are some of the antiBiblical worldviews
promoted by the god of this
world, Satan, that are
popular on the campuses of
the world?
Secular
Humanism
Marxism/
Leninism
Cosmic
Humanism
Biblical
Christianity
Sources:
Humanist
Manifestos I, II
Writings of Marx and
Lenin
New Age writers:
Ferguson, Bailey
Bible
Theology
Atheism
Atheism
Pantheism
Theism
Philosophy
Naturalism
Dialectical
Materialism
Non-Naturalism
Supernaturalism
Ethics
Relativism
Proletariat Morality
Relativism
Absolutes
Biology
Evolution
Evolution
Evolution
CREATION
Psychology
Self-actualization
Behaviorism
Collective
Consciousness
Mind-Body
Dualism
Sociology
Non-Traditional
Family
Abolition of Home
Church and State
Non-Tradition Home
Church and State
Traditional Home
Church State
Law
Positive Law
Positive Law
Self-Law
Biblical Law
Politics
World Gov.
(Globalism)
New World Order
New Age Order
Justice, Freedom
Order
Economics
Socialism
Socialism
Enlightened
Production
Stewardship
Private Prop.
History
Historical
Evolution
Historical
Materialism
Evolutionary
Godhood
Historical
Resurrection
WORLDVIEW THINKING IN THE
HISTORY OF THE U.S.A.
• Christian Theism: Personal God
Young Universe Creation
• Traditional Deism: Reduced God
Old Universe Theistic Evolution
• Secular Humanism: Dead God
Darwinian Atheistic Evolution
• Pagan Mysticism/Metaphysical Naturalism
• I am God/All is God/
• Evolution is ‘god’/ Harry Potter is God
• Lesser shades of
darkness do not
expose the
darkness!
1 JOHN 1:5-7
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him,
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is
no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have
fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and
do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that
we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word
is not in us.
THE CHRISTIAN’S JOB: BRING
LIGHT TO EXPOSE THE DARKNESS!
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we
have this treasure in earthen vessels, that
the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7
BABOOPENQUAT?
Are you
screaming
inside, “I
love the
darkness. I
love the
things of the
world!”
PROVERBS 14:12
• 12 There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the
ways of death.
PROVERBS 16:25
25 There is a way that
seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the
ways of death.
A “fool” loves and
lives the ways of
darkness and
death!
WHAT IS A “FOOLISH” YOUTH?
“[He] may be a teenager who has
attended church for years. He is there
because his parents make him come.
He will daydream during most of the
lesson, and the part that he does hear,
he has already made up his mind to
ignore. He is foolish.”
Jerry L. Ross, The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ,
(ISBN 0-87398-898-1) p. 8
We are losing 40% before
high school.
We are losing another 44%
before college.
Proverbs 1:7-9
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning
of knowledge: but fools despise
wisdom and instruction. 8 My son,
hear the instruction of thy father, and
forsake not the law of thy mother: 9 For
they shall be an ornament of grace
unto thy head, and chains about thy
neck.
EPHESIANS 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the
Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy
father and mother; (which is the
first commandment with promise);
3 That it may be well with thee, and
thou mayest live long on the earth.
•But in steps
pride and
selfishness!!
• What do pride and selfishness
look like in a boy preparing
himself for manhood or a girl
preparing herself for
womanhood?
“I don’t need to obey my
parents—I know what’s best
for me a whole lot better than
they do!”
PROVERBS 18:2
2 A fool hath no delight in
understanding, but that his
heart may discover itself.
“Me, myself and I,”
says the fool, “that is
what I want to
indulge and satisfy!”
HOW DO THE GODLY “WISE”
RESPOND?
Proverbs 21:11
11 When the scorner is punished, the simple is
made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he
receiveth knowledge.
Proverbs 8:33
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it
not.
Ecclesiastes 8:11-13
11Because
sentence against an evil work is
not executed speedily, therefore the heart of
the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12Though a sinner do evil an hundred times,
and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know
that it shall be well with them that fear God,
which fear before him: 13But it shall not be
well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong
his days, which are as a shadow; because he
feareth not before God.
LUKE 4:16
16 “And he came to Nazareth, where he had
been brought up: and, as his custom was,
he went into the synagogue on the
sabbath day, . . .”
What happened in the synagogue? The
Word of God was read and taught.
• A Godly leader builds his thinking
on a strong foundation—the Word
of God. Therefore, he is able to
be secure and courageous even
in the midst of terrible storms!
• Godly leaders take the narrow, uphill
path that others are unwilling to take.
When it comes to the Bible, this
means taking the Bible literally and
believing it from Genesis 1:1: “In the
beginning God created the
heavens and the earth” through
Revelation 22:21: “The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.”
PROVERBS 3:13-16
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the
man that getteth understanding. 14 For the
merchandise of it is better than the
merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than
fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies:
and all the things thou canst desire are not to
be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in
her right hand; and in her left hand riches and
honour.
EPHESIANS 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the
Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy
father and mother; (which is the
first commandment with promise);
3 That it may be well with thee, and
thou mayest live long on the earth.
MATTHEW 6:33
• 33 But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you.
JERRY ROSS ASKS: In what are
YOU known to be “increasing?”
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Football
Basketball
Baseball
Track
Soccer
Mathematics
Science
Computers
Godly sister/daughter
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Soul winning
Servant hood
Musical instrument
After-school-job
Godly brother/son
Bible Study
Facebook
Pride
Selfishness
You can’t be
both a man of
God and a man
of the world at
the same time!
GET WISDOM, STARTING WHERE?
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:
and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of
wisdom; and before honour is humility.
WISDOM BEGINS WITH FEARING GOD!
• “Fear” in the Old and New Testaments means
“awe” and “reverence,” and equally important, it
means “bone shaking terror.”
• Fear = “Phobeo” or “phobos” from which we get
our word, Phobia, such as Hydrophobia (fear of
water), or Arachnophobia, (fear of spiders).
These phobias are bone shaking terror!
• Are we to fear God with bone-shaking terror
to get wisdom?
LUKE 12:4-5
Lord Jesus said, 4 “And I say unto you my
friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the
body, and after that have no more that
they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you
whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after
he hath killed hath power to cast into hell;
yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
“Fear” is “Phobeo.”
FEAR IN OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW
Proverbs 1:7a
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge.
“Fear” is “Yirah” which means fear, terror,
reverence, awe, etc.
The fear of God is like a volcano—you want to
get up close and look into it (awesome), but
fear it could kill you so it drives you away.
Biblical fear attracts you in awe, but drives
you away in terror.
The beginning of
instruction, knowledge
and wisdom is the
awesome reverence and
bone-shaking terror of the
God of the Bible!
• A Godly leader has convictions
that come from the Fear of the
Lord which prevent compromise
that comes from the fear of man.
The fear of the Lord is a major stimulus for
living a wise and Godly lifestyle.
The fear of the Lord convinces us of the
consequences for sinful living.
If I call myself a Christian and live like the
devil--I have no fear of God, I am not living
wisely and may not even be a true Christian.
(2 Corinthians 13:5)
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be
in the faith; prove your own selves.
Know ye not your own selves, how
that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?
There are eternal
consequences for sin!
Today is the day to get
things straightened
out once and for all
with our Savior, Jesus.
PRIDE: THE MAJOR BLOCK TO WISDOM.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD,
and depart from evil.
Proverbs 3:7
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own
wisdom.
Proverbs 23:4
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of
low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Romans 12:16b
AM I A “FOOLISH” PERSON?
• A foolish person :
– Ignores reproof (Proverbs 17:10; 19:25)
– Despises instruction (Proverbs 1:7; 15:5)
– Perceives himself as always right (Proverbs 12:15)
– Sees mischief as sport (Proverbs 10:23)
– Makes a mockery of sin (Proverbs 14:9)
– Is quick tempered (Proverbs 12:16; 14:17; 27:3)
– Meddles in the affairs of others (Proverbs 20:3)
– Despises his parents (Proverbs 15:20; 19:13)
AM I A “FOOLISH” PERSON?
• A foolish person:
– Slanders others (Proverbs 10:18)
– Has perverse lips (Proverbs 19:1)
– Is double-tongued (Proverbs 10:18)
– Quickly speaks his mind (Proverbs 29:11,20)
– Has a tongue of pride (Proverbs 14:3)
– Talks a lot of foolishness (12:23; 15:2, 14)
– Is contentious (Proverbs 18:6)
1 CORINTHIANS 15:33, 34
• 33 Be not deceived: evil
communications [companions]
corrupt good manners [morals].
34 Awake to righteousness, and
sin not; for some have not the
knowledge of God: I speak this to
your shame.
• To become wise and a mature man or
woman, I must put away three childish
things:
1) Childish Speech,
2) Childish Understanding
3) Childish Thinking.
1 Corinthians 13:11: 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, I put away childish things.
• A boy does not have to wait
until he is 12-13 years old to
start acting like a man!
Biblical Maturity:
• Childish things are “put away” when you
reach age 12.
• In a historical context, after 12 years of
age you are considered to be an adult!
• A teenager is an adult and should be
capable of adult responsibiblties. Only in
the “civilized” West are teens not
considered to be adults.
• Many if not most adult men in the USA
remain childish in their behavior!
• Men act and think like they did in grade
school or high school.
• Men: We must act like men!
Will you live like
a dog, or soar
like an eagle?
• A Godly leader realizes that if
he is doing the same thing as
the world, it is time to
reevaluate whether it is
Biblical.
The Principal of Predeciding
HERE’S THE IDEA:
• 1) You have a recurring problem such
as: laziness, cheating, stealing,
swearing, anger, lust, pride, lying,
immorality, lack of self control,
pornography, drugs, selfishness, etc.
• OR
• 2) You have a potential problem, a
problem that might pop up some day in
the future such as: (see above )
HERE’S WHAT TO DO:
• Find a Scripture that deals with the
problem.
• Memorize this Scripture.
• Meditate on this Scripture.
• Personalize the Scripture (put your
name in it wherever possible).
• Pray the Scripture back to God.
THEN WHAT?
• Ask the Lord to use this
Scripture in your life the
next time (or first time)
you are confronted with
the problem, test or
temptation!
FOR EXAMPLE:
• If you have an anger problem you might
memorize Ecclesiastes 7:9,
• “Do not be eager in your heart to
be angry, for anger resides in the
bosom of fools.”
• This can be uncomfortably convicting!
• God calls eagerly angry people fools!
ARE YOU SELFISH AND
PROUD?
• Memorize, Meditate, Personalize and
pray back to God Philippians 2:3:
• “Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory; but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem the other
better than themselves.”
IS YOUR TONGUE OUT OF
CONTROL?
• Memorize, Meditate, Personalize and
pray back to God Ephesians 4:29:
• “Let no corrupt communication proceed
out of your mouth, but that which is good
to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers.”
• Pre-decide to let God use this Scripture
the next time your tongue needs taming.
LUST OF THE EYES
• “For all that is in the world, the lust
of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world.”
I John 2:16
• “I will set no wicked thing before
mine eyes.”
Psalm 101:3a
THE PRINCIPLE OF
PREDECIDING
• Find a Scripture that deals with the
problem.
• Memorize this Scripture.
• Meditate on this Scripture.
• Personalize the Scripture (put your
name in it wherever possible).
• Pray the Scripture back to God.
THEN WHAT?
• Ask the Lord to use this
Scripture in your life the
next time (or first time)
you are confronted with
the problem, test or
temptation!
Predecide to Let the Bible
Guide Your Moral Life
What About the “Gay” Lifestyle?
• Dallas Morning News, July 25, 2011, page
4-A:
• The increasing number of states that have
made same-sex marriage legal include:
Connecticut, New York, Iowa,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont,
and Washington D.C.
• 7/50ths of the USA! = 14%
What Does the Bible Say About
the Culturally Acceptable “Gay”
(Homosexual) Lifestyle?
MORAL RELATIVISM: HOMOSEXUALITY IS AN
ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE
WHAT DOES THE GOD OF THE BIBLE SAY?
Fellow Christians have you become
confused on this issue? There should be no
confusion here!
• Genesis 13:13, Homosexuality is sin and
wickedness!
• Genesis 18:20, Homosexuality is grievous
sin!
• Genesis 19:7, Homosexuality is wicked!
• Leviticus 18:22, Homosexuality is an
abomination.
• Deuteronomy 23:17-18, Homosexuality is
an abomination to the Lord of Hosts.
• 1 Kings 14:24, Homosexuality(sodomy) is
an abomination.
• Romans 1:24, Homosexuality dishonors
your own body.
• Romans1:26, Lesbianism is a “vile
affection.
• Romans 1:26b Lesbianism “...is against
nature.”
• Romans 1:27, Homosexuality is unseemly
• Romans 1:28, Homosexuality is the fruit of a
“reprobate mind.”
• 1 Corinthians 6:9, Effeminate (“male
prostitutes” NIV) and abusers of themselves
with mankind (homosexuals NAS) “shall not
inherit the kingdom of God”
WORLDVIEW IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
AND ITS ASSUMPTIONS DETERMINE
CONCLUSIONS
You interpret what you see
based on what you already
believe (assume).
Predecide to Use
Excellent Speech
TEN LAWS OF EXCELLENT SPEECH
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Speak sparingly—Proverbs 17:27; 10:19
Speak only after thinking—Prov.29:20; Jas. 1:19
Speak honestly—Ephesians 4:25; Proverbs 12:17
Speak with grace—Colossians 4:6
Speak only acceptable words— Psalm 19:14
PASTOR JERRY ROSS SAYS:
“Excellent speech is the hallmark of
excellent character. I dare you to yield
your tongue to the use of God. In doing so,
you will achieve a level of maturity and
discipline that will serve you well
throughout your life.”
The Teenage Years of Jesus, (Murfreesboro, TN:
Sword of the Lord Pubs.) 2000, p.33
TEN LAWS OF EXCELLENT SPEECH
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Speak appropriately—Prov. 25:11; Eccles 3:1
Speak respectfully—1 Timothy 5:1, 2
Never speak evil of another—Jas.4:11;Titus 3:2
Never praise yourself—Proverbs 17:2
Speak the Gospel boldly—Romans 1:16
“If any man offend not in word, the same
is a perfect man, and able also to bridle
the whole body.”
James 3:2
INCREASE IN KNOWLEDGE,
UNDERSTANDING AND WISDOM
• Knowledge: Learning what God wants
me to do.
• Understanding: Learning why God
wants me to do it.
• Wisdom: Learning how to do what God
wants me to do and then, in His power,
doing it!
WISDOM: “CHAKHAM” (Heb.)
• “CHAKHAM” means to be skilled in holy living.
It means to apply God’s Word to every situation
in life.
• In order to display Godly wisdom a person must
know and do God’s Word.
• In order to know and do God’s Word a person
must possess the indwelling Holy Spirit.
• In order to possess the Holy Spirit, a person
must receive Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
JOHN 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.
ACTS 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in
any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must
be saved.
Romans 10:9-13
9That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.
• Our Lord, through His Bible, encourages
His people to go beyond a head
knowledge of the truths of His Word. He is
saying, “You have learned; now become
convinced of My truths. You have been
taught; now embrace My truths. You have
read; now give yourself wholly to these
truths. Make them yours. You know with
your head; now believe with your heart.”
1 CORINTHIANS 14:20
• 20 Brethren, be not children in
understanding: howbeit in
malice be ye children, but in
understanding be men.
DEVELOP MATURE UNDERSTANDING
• Proverbs 17:27
27 He that hath knowledge spareth his
words: and a man of understanding is of
an excellent spirit.
• Proverbs 3:13
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
and the man that getteth understanding.
DANIEL 6:3
3 Then this Daniel was preferred
above the presidents and princes,
because an excellent spirit was in
him; and the king thought to set
him over the whole realm.
PROVERBS 10:13
13 In the lips of him that hath
understanding wisdom is
found: but a rod is for the back
of him that is void of
understanding.
PROVERBS 16:22
22 Understanding is a
wellspring of life unto him that
hath it: but the instruction of
fools is folly.
You want to enjoy life?
Get understanding!
ENJOYING LIFE IS PURITY PROTECTION
Proverbs 6:32
32 But whoso committeth adultery with
a woman lacketh understanding [Heb.
“heart”]: he that doeth it destroyeth
his own soul.
1 Corinthians 6:17-20
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth
is without the body; but he that committeth
fornication sinneth against his own body. 19
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? 20 For
ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God
in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God’s.
PROVERBS 7:4, 5
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my
sister; and call understanding thy
kinswoman: 5 That they may
keep thee from the strange
woman, from the stranger which
flattereth with her words.
1 CORINTHIANS 7:1
• 1 Now concerning the things
whereof ye wrote unto me: It is
good for a man not to touch a
woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid
fornication, let every man have
his own wife, and let every
woman have her own husband.
MATURE MINDS ARE DISCIPLINED MINDS
• 5 Casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to
the obedience of Christ.
• A Godly leader is conscious of the fact that
he will stand before the Lord one day to
give account. He makes decisions based
on that day rather than on present
circumstances.
• A Godly leader is a follower of the Lord
within the framework of His Word, not a
follower of the opinions and words of men.
PSALM 119:113
“I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.”
King David, a man after God’s own heart, said
that he hated empty thoughts. It made him mad
when he caught himself daydreaming. He did
not make excuses for it, but considered it a
weakness of character.
Nothing is as undisciplined and unproductive as a
wandering mind. David realized that a healthy,
intelligent mind was a gift from God, a gift to be
used to accomplish things for God. (P. 44)
Proverbs 21:5
5 The thoughts of the diligent
tend only to plenteousness;
but of every one that is
hasty only to want.
Colossians 3:12
12 Put on therefore, as the elect
of God, holy and beloved,…
humbleness of mind,
meekness, longsuffering.
• A Godly leader is willing to
“humbly” lower himself,
trusting God to lift him up at
the right time!
• A Godly leader will not simply
obey his parents but look for
ways to honor them!
Philippians 2:3
• 3 Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than
themselves. 4 Look not every man on
his own things, but every man also on
the things of others. 5 Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus:
• Perhaps our biggest problem:
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“I can take care of myself!”
“I am indestructable!”
“I can handle these drugs!”
“I can handle social drinking!”
“I will not be seduced by internet or by women!”
• ROMANS 12:3:
• For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but
to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to
every man the measure of faith.
The proud teenager says:
“I can do all things.”
The humble teenager
says: “I can do all things
through Christ Who
strengthens me.”
CAN WE KEEP A PURE MIND?
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things. 9 Those things, which ye have
both learned, and received, and heard, and
seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be
with you.
CAN WE KEEP A PURE MIND?
PSALM 139:1, 2
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and
known me. 2 Thou knowest my
downsitting and mine uprising, thou
understandest my thought afar off.
CAN WE KEEP A PURE MIND?
GENESIS 6:5, 6
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on
the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the
LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created
from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it
repenteth me that I have made them.
CAN WE KEEP A PURE MIND?
PROVERBS 15:26
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an
abomination to the LORD: but the
words of the pure are pleasant words.
Our Lord Jesus hates
wicked thoughts!
PURE THOUGHTS GENERATE
PURE WORDS!
16 Then they that feared the LORD spake
often one to another: and the LORD
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of
remembrance was written before him for
them that feared the LORD, and that
thought upon his name.
Malachi 3:16
BIBLICAL MEDITATION: THE KEY TO
SUCCESS FOR MENTAL PURITY
Psalm 1:1-3
1 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.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and
in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3
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.
1 Blessed [rich, rewarding, full] is the man that
walketh not in the counsel [point of view] of the
ungodly [morally wrong, bad, wicked], nor
standeth in the way of sinners [habitual, lifestyle
sinners], nor sitteth in the seat [sit down and
feel right at home with] of the scornful
[unteachable]. 2 But his delight is in the law of
the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. 3 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 brings
to His intended end].
BIBLICAL MEDITATION
GENERATES MENTAL PURITY
Three subjects for meditation:
The Person of God: Psalm 104:33, 34
The Works of God: Psalm 77:11, 12
The Word of God: Psalm 119:97
• We must meditate on the whole
Truth of God’s Word, the Bible!
• We must have the discernment to
not begin to believe ½ truths.
CATBIRD
Is this an expression of truth?
Is this something that is true to
reality?
ROMANS 7
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent
unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but
the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I
do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but
sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law,
that, when I would do good, evil is present with
me.
Fellow Christian, does this
Romans 7 passage of Scripture
describe you?
BE AN OVERCOMER!
1 John 5:4, 5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh
the world: and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith. 5
Who is he that overcometh the world, but
he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of
God?
WHAT OVERCOMES US?
1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are
in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that
doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
• A Godly leader knows that in
order to lead others to a clear
conscience, he must have one
himself!
• A Godly leader knows that in
order to defeat the “Goliaths”
in our country, he must defeat
the lions and bears of lies,
greed, lust, bitterness, pride
and selfishness within himself!
EPHESIANS 2:1-3
1 And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins; 2
Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience:
EPHESIANS 2:1-3
3 Among whom also we all had
our conversation in times past in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as
others.
SET SOME GOALS…
Don’t settle for anything less than Christlikeness.
Take time each day to pray and study the Bible.
Each day arm yourself with a Scripture and hymn.
[Copy the Scripture onto a 3x5 card to memorize.]
Turn off your car radio, TV, cell phone, etc. as
you cannot have victory over wicked thoughts
when involved with worldly, sensual music, etc .
Remove yourself from wrong friends!
• Compose a personal doctrinal statement.
• Write a definition of success for yourself
using only Scripture.
• Learn to love your Master, Lord Jesus.
• Try to discern God’s mission for your life.
• Get involved in ministry with and to others.
MINISTRY TO OTHERS:
PROVERBS 11:27
27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth
favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it
shall come unto him.
PROVERBS 12:2
2 A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD:
but a man of wicked devices will he
condemn.
JAMES 1:26, 27
26 If any man among you seem to be
religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man’s
religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world.
How can I learn to die to myself—
my ugly pride and my stubborn
selfishness, my wicked tongue
and find the favor of God as I
minister to others?
Finding the Favor of God
First I must die to myself: 1 Corinthians
15:31b says, “I die daily.”
Galatians 2:20
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me.
Second: Study the Gospels
• Our goal is to let Jesus’ life flow out through us.
• Study Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and
watch everything that Jesus does, then ask,
“Why did He do that?”
• Listen to everything Jesus says, then ask, “To
whom was He talking? Why did He say that?
What did He mean?”
• Examine Jesus’ decisions and then ask, “Why?”
• Nothing Jesus did or said is unimportant!
Third: Improve and develop your
relationships with adults
Young people, It matters what adults think of you!
“Most teenagers today seem to care little what
adults think about them. They are so busy
trying to impress their peers that they are
oblivious to the opinions of anyone more than a
few years older than they are.
This is not how Christ lived. Men respected Him.
Adults were impressed by Him.”
[See: The Teenage Years of Christ, p.66]
1 TIMOTHY 4:12
12 “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou
an example of the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in
purity. 13 Till I come, give attendance to
reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
Young people, die to yourself and let the Lord
Jesus live His life out through you in such a
way that the adults will not despise you, but
will be encouraged to deeper faith and a
closer walk in the Spirit in their own lives!
CHARACTER TRAITS ADULTS
RESPECT IN YOUNG PEOPLE:
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Adults respect excellent speech.
Adults respect mature behavior.
Adults respect selfless love.
Adults respect a good attitude.
Adults respect sincere faith.
Adults respect wholesome purity.
PEERS REACT TO A GODLY
YOUNG PERSON.
• If you die to yourself and let the Lord
Jesus live His holy and pure life out
through you, your peers, even your
“Christian” peers will react. Many will
attempt to pull you down, to discourage
you, to reject you because of your good
behavior in Christ Jesus.
OUR RESPONSE TO REJECTION
• 1 Peter 4:14
14 If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory
and of God resteth upon you: on their part
he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is
glorified.
OUR RESPONSE TO REJECTION
Luke 6:22, 23
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate
you, and when they shall separate you
from their company, and shall reproach
you, and cast out your name as evil, for
the Son of man’s sake. 23 Rejoice ye in
that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your
reward is great in heaven: for in the like
manner did their fathers unto the prophets.