Youth

REMINDERS FOR THE YOUTH by Dr. Joel Santos

The mind set of culture that our youth is facing today.

any person that has come to the relation that their power to overcome many of life’s challenges can be found within. The ‘RW’ stands for the Real World, which sometimes gives us the impression that our problems are more than we can handle.

Mark Beird - Postmodernism: a different, subjective, experiential way of looking at the world, and a deep skepticism which does not believe in moral, absolute or universal truths.

L. Rex

Christianity, by embracing the Holy Bible as the inerrant word of God, establishes the doctrines of Scripture as the axiomatic [obvious] basis of moral and spiritual Absolutes. Scripture describes God as Omnipotent [all-powerful], Omnipresent [universal], Omniscient [all knowing] with infinite mercy, justice, and love; and Christians accept the birth, life, death, resurrection, and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Holy Bible. Therefore, Christian faith acknowledges Christ to be the divine son of God of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As defined in Scripture, the Christian is saved from eternal condemnation for his sins by the Grace of God through the acceptance, in faith, of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, believing that He is the Son of God, that He came into the world to save sinners through His atoning death on the cross, that He established victory over death by His bodily resurrection and ascension to Heaven, and that He will come again to judge the world, such that those who believe on Him will spend Eternity in Heaven with Him and God the Father Almighty.

1 Timothy 4:6-4:16

1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

1Ti 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. {little: or, for a little time}

1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.

1Ti 4:12 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.

1Ti 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

1Ti 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

1Ti 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. {to all: or, in all things}

1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Paul gave as some reminders as the guiding principles of the Christian youth.

Who is Timothy:

-A youth

-A believer

-A youth leader

-A young minister

I. DON’ts For the Christian youth

A. Don’t live the way of unbelievers - v.7

1Ti 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

Dr. Howard, from Australia who preached very strongly on the subject of sin. After the service, one of the church officers came to counsel with him in the study. "Dr. Howard," he said, "we don’t want you to talk as openly as you do about man’s guilt and corruption, because if our boys and girls hear you discussing that subject they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin. "The minister took down a small bottle and showing it to the visitor said, "You see that label? It says strychnine -- and underneath in bold, red letters the word ’Poison!’ Do you know, man, what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label. Suppose I do, and paste over it the words, ’Essence of Peppermint’; don’t you see what might happen? Someone would use it, not knowing the danger involved, and would certainly die. So it is, too, with the matter of sin. The milder you make your label, the more dangerous you make your poison!"

B. Don’t let anyone look down on you - v.12

4:12 Let no man despise thy youth

II. DO’s For the Christian Youth

A. Train yourself to be godly - v.7-8