Sunday Sermons
Urge the Young Men - Part 1
Urge the Young Men
“Urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8).
Flee Youthful Lusts
“Now flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). “The sad truth is that many young men do not resist these temptations. They grow up to become old men who spend the better part of their lives regretting the sins they committed during their youth, sins which often carry long-term practical consequences. The moral of the story is that young men must ‘flee youthful lusts’, and seek God ‘while it is still early’, or risk carrying a terrible weight of baggage for the rest of their lives. It is difficult to be a young man in the twenty-first century world of image-overload, radical individualism, and rampant sensuality” (Thoughts for Young Men, J.C. Ryle p. 6).“There is a great urgency that we raise strong, courageous men of faith. The twenty-first century, with its terrorism, its changing cultural and social climate, and its technological and ethical challenges, demands a new type of Christian boy—a hearty, ferociously principled, chivalrous, Christ-loving boy who is willing to stand alone. Without such boys, our culture is doomed. It is these boys who will be the fathers of the next generation” (p. 7).
Why exhort the Young Men?
· Can any young man afford to remain at the same level of maturity or immaturity in view of next year’s trials and challenges? Because one will be the same person or worse next year, if one refuses to learn from the people one meets, the good books one reads, especially the Scriptures.
· Because there are too few young men who are on the narrow road, and this is true among both the poor and rich (Matthew 7:13-14). “Many a family, with everything this world can give, numbers among its relatives some name that is never named, or only named with regret and shame, some son, some brother, some cousin, some nephew, who will have his own way and is a grief to all who know him” (p. 16). (Proverbs 10:1).
· The lives of young men are just as uncertain as the lives of old men, “Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly” (Isaiah 40:30).
· “Youth is the planting time of full age, the molding season in the little space of human life, the turning point in the history of man’s mind” (p. 20). “So remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting” (Ecclesiastes 11:10). “The freshness of youth with its unimpaired vigor of the body, which makes joy taste all the sweeter, is but of a short duration---Bad attitudes and the misuse of the body can make any enjoyment difficult or impossible” (Leupold p. 272). Carefully observe that the terms grief and anger would include bitterness, resentment, self-pity, being moody and morose, and fretful.
· “Believe me, you will find it no easy matter to turn to God whenever you please. It is a true saying of Leighton, ‘The way of sin is downhill’. Holy desires and serious convictions are not like the servants of the Centurion, ready to come and go at your desire. Why do I say all this? I say it because of the force of habit. Habits have deep roots. Custom becomes second nature (Ephesians 2:1), and its chains are not easily broken. Habits are like stones rolling downhill—the further they roll, the faster and more ungovernable is their course. Habits, like trees, are strengthened by age. A boy may bend an oak when it is a sapling—a hundred men cannot root it up when it is full-grown” (p. 23). Yes, there is always hope and men can always change, and one might think I am sending too much time on this point, but as Ryle noted, “If you had seen old men, as I have, on the brink of the grave, without any feelings, seared, callous, dead, cold, hard as stone—you would not think so” (pp. 23-24). Therefore, do not fear men, but fear the hardening effects of sin (Hebrews 3:7ff). “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil” (Jeremiah 13:23). This verse is not teaching that men are born depraved and unable to change, rather the verse is teaching that people who know better and yet persist in evil reach a point that change is virtually impossible. Notice the word “accustomed”.
· “Satan knows very well that you will make the next generation and therefore he employs every trick to make you his own”(p. 24).
· Sin is easy to do when young, but living with the consequences the rest of your life is the hard part. As old physical wounds tend to ache and intensify with age, so the consequences of the past tend to intensify with age as well. One of the greatest pleasures of old age is a conscience that is not burdened with a long list of youthful sins. Be merciful to yourself—seek the Lord early in life (Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw night when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’”). “For you write bitter things against me and make me to inherit the sins of my youth” (Job 13:26).
The danger of Pride
Like Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:8), the temptation that confronts many young men is the temptation to discount and spurn what older people are trying to tell them. It is all too common to see young men who are impatient, unwilling to learn and listen, who think that elderly people are dull and slow. In fact, some also resent being spoken to. Beware of pride; do not overestimate your looks, talents, or abilities. Remember who gave you those talents (Romans 12:3; Colossians 3:12 “Clothe yourselves with humility”). Beware of becoming “wise in your own eyes” (Proverbs 26:12), for such is a condition of little hope.
The danger of instant gratification
Many a young man becomes exactly what Paul warns about, when he notes that men will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). Peter informs us that sinful pleasures wage war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11). “They destroy the soul’s peace, break down its strength, lead it into captivity, and make it a slave” (p. 41). “Go and take your fill of earthly pleasures if you will---you will never find your heart satisfied with them. There will always be a voice within, crying, like the leech in Proverbs 30:15 “Give! Give!” (p. 41).
The danger of carelessness
Another temptation that confronts young men is the temptation to hurry and be in a rush. “Believe me, this world is not a world in which we can do well without thinking” (p. 45). “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). “Likewise urge the young men to be sensible” (Titus 2:6). The term “sensible” means to be reasonable, serious, keeping one’s head, using good judgment, to be self-controlled, and curbing one’s passions. Young men are tempted to be carefree when they should be serious. We do live in a time of excessive amusement and foolish talking. Let us remember that God is serious in observing us, Christ is serious in interceding for us, the word of God is serious in instructing us, and all our spiritual enemies are dead serious in their endeavors to ruin us---“and poor sinners are serious in hell” (p. 47). “Oh, young men, learn to be thoughtful. Learn to consider what you are doing, and where you are going. Make time for calm reflection. Commune with your own heart, and be still. Remember my caution—Do not be lost merely for the lack of thought” (p. 47).
The danger of having contempt for holy things
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). “Men may tell you that there are difficulties in the Bible, things hard to understand. It would not be God’s book if there were not” (p. 49). This is an excellent point. Yes the Bible does contain simple teaching and it equally contains “meat” or things hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16). And this should not surprise us, for the Creator is the author! God is speaking to bring us up to a level of spiritual maturity. The enemies of Scripture are so inconsistent. On the one hand, they complain that various teachings in the Bible are too simple or naïve (mere platitudes), yet on the other hand they complain that the Bible is too hard to understand. Ryle further observes, “Be very sure of this---people never reject the Bible because they cannot understand it. They understand it too well; they understand that it condemns their own behavior; they understand that it witnesses against their own sins, and summons them to judgment. An evil lifestyle must always raise an objection to this book. Men question the truth of Christianity because they hate the practice of it” (p. 49). Observe the following insightful verse on this point:
“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3). Notice the motivation behind such mocking, it is not facts or science, rather what fuels with ridicule of sacred things, human lust! Men only mock when they want to follow their own selfish desires. Thus, when dealing with mockers, remember, the issue will not be solved on an intellectual level—we are dealing with a moral problem here. The only argument that a mocker wants to hear is one that will enable them to keep whatever sin they are wanting to practice.
Thus Paul exhorts Titus, and other young men as well, to be an example of someone who is pure in terms of doctrine (Titus 2:7). While others may mock God, the truthfulness of the Scriptures, or the necessity of following the Bible, each generation having more than enough talented and willing false teachers (2 Timothy 4:3), consider these thoughts: “Did God ever fail to keep His word?” The answer, based upon the track record is “never”. What He has said, He has always done. What He has spoken He has always made good. This is true at the flood, with Sodom and Gomorrah, against the Egyptians, in the wilderness, with the prophets, during the captivity, and throughout the New Testament. The only ones who have always been wrong are the mockers (2 Peter 3:3).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
