In this sermon, the speaker addresses the idea that young people should not be despised but should set an example for believers in various aspects of their lives. The speaker acknowledges the temptation for young people to "live it up" and engage in worldly activities, but emphasizes the importance of faith and living according to God's word. The speaker encourages listeners to read Hebrews 11, which highlights the faith and endurance of biblical figures who faced trials and persecution. The sermon also emphasizes the importance of seeking help from God in times of need and cultivating a spirit of thanksgiving and joy in prayer.

is to suffer need. Some people in years gone by have become embittered with God because this particular thing wasn't supplied or they had a hard time or they went through days in which they didn't have everything they wanted. But I believe after the little I've studied of the western culture of the western evangelical and christian church is what perhaps we need more than anything else is to suffer need. I would ask you to think about that. Think about it. Perhaps it's new to you. What we need is to suffer need. Now let's turn on to the book of colossians as time goes by and let's look at the prayer of the apostle paul in the book of colossians there in the first chapter starting at the third verse. We give thanks to God and the father of our lord jesus christ praying always for you. How many people can you say that about? How many people can you write a letter to tonight and say these words we give thanks to God the father of our lord jesus christ praying always for you? How many people can you say that about? And then as we jump over and look at the ninth verse the prayer of paul for this cause we also since the day we heard it Do not seek to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding That he might walk worthy of the lord unto all pleasing Being fruitful in every good work And increasing in the knowledge of God Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness Giving thanks unto the father which hath made us meet to the partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins Who is the image of the invisible god? the firstborn of every creature For by him were all things created That are in heaven and that are in earth Visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers All things were created by him and for him And he is before all things And by him all things can fit. I want to ask you. I want to beg you to meditate upon those verses How revolutionary How stirring the word of god the depth of those verses the depth of that prayer of the apostle paul as he was inspired of god Should thrill our souls And should challenge us To the great fact that the depth of the knowledge of god will be revealed to us As we go to prayer the depth The infinite depth of the power of god And of the grace of god and of the mercy of god will be revealed to us as we enter into our prayer closet As we remain alone with him as we wait upon him as we're still in his presence And from our heart would come Grace and love and joy like unto that which we have just read in him in jesus christ All things consist And it's jesus christ Who said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden And I shall give you rest Oh my god grips with the reality of these words Now let us go on to thessalonians First thessalonians the fifth chapter We read these words Starting at the 16th verse what a challenge short and yet powerful Rejoice evermore Pray without ceasing In everything give thanks for this is the will of god in christ jesus concerning you Many of us are constantly concerned about knowing the will of god Constantly we're interested in knowing what god wants us to do And some young people go through all kinds of gymnastics trying to find out the will of god Many times running ahead of god wanting to know about things long before god desires to reveal them to us But here in this passage of scripture We see something that we don't have to debate about something that we don't even have to pray about Clearly and bluntly we are told What the will of god is concerning us? Here's something you don't need to go through all kinds of gymnastics to find out about And yet how many of us are obeying this? Look at that 18th verse Here it is. Here's the will of god concerning you in everything Give thanks For this is the will of god in christ jesus concerning you This verse and so many other verses from the word of god We might as well take our scissors and cut them out of the bible and throw them into the trash can How many of us can say that we are giving thanks in everything How many of us have learned that secret? That powerful secret of learning what it is to rejoice in all situations to give thanks for everything There's a tremendous danger in our days in negative thinking And we become murmurers and complainers. We don't like the way the food is served And we don't like the way the classes are taught and we don't like the way this person dresses And we don't like the way he does this or he does that and we judge people and we criticize people We don't like the way sammy prays. We don't like the way sally talks. We don't like the way joey We don't like the way mr Miss preaches, etc, etc And after we go to our chapel service we come out and we talk about the preacher what he did wrong and what he said Wrong and many people as billy graham once said all they have for sunday dinner is roast preacher But god said god comes booming in with this revolutionary teaching that would strip us Of all the slowness and of all the negativity and of all the unbelief if we began to practice it He comes in and he says in everything Give thanks What a revolution. Oh that challenges my heart Oh what a negative thinker I was Even now how easy it is to become negative and to look at the bad and to look at the problems Oh, I tell you if there's anything I like to have with me on one of the teams when i'm out On the road or out in the crusade is people Who know how to give thanks? Rejoicing hearts the fruit of the spirit says the word of god is joy Oh how we need to be joyful And thankful how our prayer sessions need to be flooded with thanksgiving Our hearts should leap in thanksgiving to god for his grace for his care for his mercy to wretches and worms like us In everything give thanks for this is the will of god concerning you Now let us turn on to first timothy First timothy the second chapter Paul is giving instruction to timothy. He says look guys draw therefore that first of all We're interested in first. Okay Here's what paul says to timothy First of all, he says first of all Let supplications prayers Intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men For kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty For this is good and acceptable in the sight of god our savior Who will have all men to be saved? And come unto the knowledge of the truth For there is one god and one mediator between god and men the man christ jesus Who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time All praise be to god First of all says paul Let's have supplication prayer intercession and giving of thanks Oh might we take the key of faith and turn that verse on in our life That it might light up in our hearts As a thousand watt bulb that never burns out Oh god granted How we could spend hours on any one of these passages Oh, and our hearts should be thrilled As we go into the word day after day These little one hour sessions a week Are nothing compared to the times you can have each day as you go into god's word And as you seek out these revolutionary new testament principles my god granted Now let us look at first timothy 4 12 For a verse that we should not forget First timothy 4 12 Especially a word for those of us who are young 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 Perhaps there's some that are listening to my voice and perhaps you think well those things are good for him. He's way over there in europe He's over there making this tape recording in rome and he's a missionary, but we're young We're back here at school and we've got to live it up a little bit. We've got to have a little fun We just can't be militant all the time. We just can't be praying and witnessing and just rejoicing and giving thanks all the time We need to get involved in other more loose activities. We need to relax and to play games, etc, etc I want to tell you that probably many of you who are listening to my voice are older than I am As I make this tape, i'm only 25. I just turned 25 And my very nature tells me that I need to live it up I'll be very frank with you many a time in the last years. I've had the desire to throw it all over Go back to the rock and roll joint. Go back to the nightclub Go back to the old life live it up. Have some fun after all i'm only young But praise be to god if there's anything that he's had to teach me is that I cannot trust my feelings We're not called to walk by feelings We're not called to trust our emotions We're called to walk by faith and unless you learn to die to your feelings Unless you learn to die to the cravings of your flesh. You'll never see victory in the christian life and most of the young people who I have seen defeated in the work of god and in their christian life is because they never Learned the fact that we're called to live by faith not feelings Many a day you will feel like studying the bible many a day You feel like praying many a day you feel like leading a disciplined dedicated Life for the lord jesus christ, but god says you're called to live by faith Not feeling and he says look young person. Let no man despise thy youth But be thou an example Oh might this be the cry of our hearts on our campus as we work with people who are much older than we are Who know more than we do who've done more than we've done who's living greater and more pure lives than we ever thought of living Might we just try in his spirit As we rest in him completely So let our lives be an example that our youth might not be despised Now turn over to second timothy one seven Second timothy one seven And as we think of this verse we need to remember that one of the main enemies One of the main enemies of faith is fear And if there's anything all that god has been giving me on even in the last month Is this thing of fear the bible says the fear of man bring a snare the fear of man bring a snare And if we're going to move into communist land if we're going to move into closed muslim land if we're going to move into difficult towns and villages we're going to have to come to grips with the fact That as it says in this verse God has not given up the spirit of fear But of power and of love and of a sound mind There's not time to comment on that verse But let us remember it as we move forth as we pray for funds as we ask god for souls as we pray Concerning all of the tremendous mountains that are facing us in this day. God has not given us a spirit of fear But of sound mind Whenever I read that I think of the fact that our mental hospitals are full And i'm sure there's at least some people listening to my voice now Who are suffering from emotional problems? Maybe you've had you've even had a nervous breakdown recently And you haven't learned the secret of hebrews chapter 4 turn to hebrews 4 Hebrews 4 we read these words in the 16th verse Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help In the time of need and perhaps there's some perhaps there's many Who haven't learned to find help in the time of need for any emotional problem any physical problem any Problem whatsoever. We can come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in the time of need For you see god has promised us as we see in verse 9 a wrath There remained therefore a wrath to the people of god For he that entered into his wrath he also hath seen from his own words As god did from his Let us labor. This is interesting. I'd love to talk on this for an hour Let us labor therefore to enter into that wrath Let any man fall after the same example of unbelief You see in this tremendous battle In this tremendous struggle for the souls of men We at all times can be resting We're laboring. We're battling. We're struggling. We're striving We're reaching out all of these verses are found in the word of god and are biblical And yet in the midst of it all we're resting on jesus christ We're resting on what christ has done on calvary We're resting on the finished work of god through jesus christ our lord I want to ask you Have Have you entered in to that rest? That rest of faith That's what we need in this day Young people who are resting on the promises of god not sleeping on the premises resting on the promises. There's a big difference Oh how we need this in our day young people with an emotional balance young people Who know how to handle the problems and the difficulties and the strains of life Because they've entered into that place of rest that place where everything is cast upon the lord our god And we know how to go in prayer to the fall of grace and take hold of that which we need Oh my god open our eyes And i'd like to read hebrews 11, but i'm not going to take the time Where it tells us so clearly what faith is that faith Is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen And read i'd ask you read that chapter this week Read about how those men How those men quenched the violence of fire and escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong wax valiant and fight Turned to flight the armies of the aliens Read how they went through trials of school mockings of scourgings of imprisonment How they were stoned how they were sawn asunder how they were tempted and slain with a sword Read about how they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and in caves of the earth All having obtained a good report true faith and yet they did not have the promises that we have Yes faith And faith believing prayer Are mighty weapons in this warfare And proven we can do great and mighty things Now in closing Let us just look at one or two verses in peter and in john that in a real way summarize The thoughts that we've been giving out I had some verses jotted down from james, but there's not time to give them But read the first chapter of james When it tells that the man who doubts should not expect to receive anything from the lord and then read that last chapter About how the prayer of faith can raise the sick And about how the fervent prayers of a righteous man can avail much Read that chapter the whole book of james Some people call it the book of works, but I call it the book of faith because it shows faith in action Indeed, it's true faith without works is dead because all good works spring From faith and when we have faith we have works. They always come together But in closing I want us to look at first peter 3 12 Here we read For the eyes of the lord are over the righteous And his ears are open unto their prayers But the face of the lord is against them that do evil Some people don't agree with this But I am convinced that answered prayer is hinged directly with our walk with god It's hinged so closely to our communion with god and the life in christ that we are living The eyes of the lord are over the righteous and as we come Pleading the cleansing blood of christ as we come in brokenness to the cross of christ and ask god to cleanse us of our sins The christian life isn't a life of perfection. It's a life of brokenness and cleansing Might we be gripped with a magic calvary road That shows us how we can walk in daily revival through the cleansing blood of christ And through learning what it is to break And to be cleansed by the lord jesus. It's the way of repentance It's going to mean going to some brother in christ and saying look sam. I'm, sorry I've sinned against you. It might mean going to your wife and say look, honey I'm, sorry I was irritable the other morning And I said this and I didn't mean it. It was sin. It was wrong. I confess it. I'm, sorry This is what it's going to mean and it's going to hurt And if this began to happen in some of our campuses some of our schools revival would sweep in a realistic revival Not just a sweep of emotion. Not just a hot prayer meeting but a deep realistic revival as we walk Calvary road with jesus christ and with one another the eyes of the lord Are over the righteous And the last verse is found In first john chapter 3 and the 22nd verse And whatsoever we ask We receive of him Because we keep this commandment And do those things that are pleasing in his sight and each time I read this I think of the words of hebrews where it says he that cometh to god must believe that he is and where it says Without faith it is impossible to please god Yes, this verse is true It is true concerning the coming crusade in europe is true concerning the crusade in the communist world and in the muslim world It's true concerning the coming crusade in mexico that whatsoever we ask we receive of him That's god's part How it should rejoice our heart But let's look at our part Because we keep his commandments And do those things That are pleasing in his sight jesus said My meat is to do the will of father And to finish his work As we keep his commandments As we do his will As we walk daily in the life of discipleship as we walk daily on calvary road broken and bent filled and running over We're going to pleasing him And we'll be the joy of his heart And he'll be the joy of our heart And he'll give us Whatsoever we ask For it will no longer be our will But it will be his We'll be one with him Our mind will be his mind. His mind will be our mind And so as we pray It'll be the holy spirit praying through us as it says in romans 8 26 For we know not how to pray But the spirit of god helpeth our infirmity And prays through us Yes We'll ask what we will And it will be granted unto us Because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight Let us pray Heavenly father We come before thee as sinners We have sinned against thee the sin of prayerlessness the sin of unbelief The sin of seeking honor one of another the sin of seeking our own way Of undisciplined living of jealousy and striving so many things. Oh god, we are just undone And all we can do is bend before calvary and claim the precious cleansing of the blood of christ Oh god, bring the revolution That we might enter into this life of faith That faith and love might be a heartbeat in our heart cry As we walk day by day with jesus Who is our life? And in whom all things Have there been In his name we pray amen