(The “Remember” Series)

 
 
“REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF YOUR
YOUTH!”
 
TEXT:         Ecclesiastes 12:1-8, 13
 
INTRO:       Have you ever known someone who is always late
for everything? They are always in a rush just to catch up
because they are always late.  At times, this kind of habit
can be costly, they miss out on important things or
information because of a late arrival.  How much better to
be on time and start early, this is precisely the idea behind
this passage.
 
ILLUS:    LIKE THE MAN WHO CAME RUSHING UP TO A FERRY HE NEEDED TO
CATCH TO GET ACROSS A LAKE, HE ARRIVED BREATHLESS AFTER RUNNING FULL
STEAM TO GET THERE, BUT THE GATEMAN SHUT THE DOOR IN HIS FACE, HE
JUST MISSED THE BOAT!  A BYSTANDER REMARKED TO HIM, “I GUESS YOU
DIDN’T RUN FAST ENOUGH!” THE DISAPPOINTED MAN ANSWERED, “I RAN FAST
ENOUGH, BUT I DIDN’T START ON TIME.” TO ACCOMPLISH THE MOST FOR GOD IN
A LIFETIME YOU MUST START EARLY ...“IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH”  Ecc.
12:1 – SOURCE UNKNOWN
 
Statistically we know that the longer a person goes without
accepting Christ the less likely they are to find Him ... the
patterns of our life are set down in our youth.  How
important it is then to remember God in our youth!
 
PROP. SENT:   The Bible teaches us the importance of
knowing God in our youth, this sets patterns in our life
that will help us through the rough points in life as well as
giving us the opportunity to be the most productive for His
kingdom.
 
I.   FOUNDATION SET!   12:1
 
A.   Patterns   12:la
1.   The author (probably Solomon) recognized how
important it was to know the Lord as a young
person, he is writing here at the end of his life.
a.   The significance of this principle is born out by
modern studies which show that with increasing
 age there is even less of a chance of someone
coming to Christ.
b.   The percentages for a born again experience
decrease with age.
2.   The reason for this is obvious; we establish
“patterns” in our youth that carry through the rest
of our lives, patterns change later with great
difficulty.
a.   This is why it is so critical that we teach our
youth about the Lord, both by word and by
example.
b.   We are helping to set the foundation for their
lives; it is a big head start for them when they
have been raised to know the Lord.
3.   This is precisely the meaning of one of Solomon’s
other statements: “train a child in the way he
should go, and when he is old he will not turn from
it.” Prov. 22:6
a.   Establishing in them a pattern of righteousness
will help them return even if they go through a
rebellious stage.
b.   It is hard to escape those patterns of youth, good
or bad ones!
c.   The rewards of walking with God from youth not
only come to those who walked with God, but
even to those who follow in their family!
 
ILLUS:      BILL GAITHER TELLS THE STORY OF HOW HE AND HIS WIFE GLORIA
WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE A PIECE OF LAND THEY DESIRED IN INDIANA SHORTLY
AFTER THEY WERE MARRIED.  THEY WERE TEACHING SCHOOL IN HIS
HOME TOWN OF ALEXANDRIA, INDIANA AND THEY WANTED A PIECE OF LAND TO
BUILD A HOUSE ON.  THEY NOTICED A PARCEL OF LAND SOUTH OF TOWN WHERE
CATTLE GRAZED, AND HE LEARNED IT BELONGED TO A 92 YEAR RETIRED
BANKER NAMED MR. YULE.  HE OWNED A LOT OF LAND IN THE AREA AND THE
WORD WAS OUT THAT HE WOULD SELL NONE OF IT TO ANYONE.  THE 92 YEAR
OLD BANKER ALWAYS GAVE THE SAME ANWER TO ANYONE WHO ASKED ABOUT
BUYING LAND, “I PROMISED TO LET FARMERS USE IT FOR THEIR CATTLE, CAN’T
SELL IT.”  GLORIA AND HE WENT TO THE BANK WHERE HE STILL WENT IN FOR A
FEW HOURS A DAY TO WORK AND REQUESTED HIM TO CONSIDER SELLING SOME
LAND TO THEM.  THE OLD MAN LOOKED OVER HIS BIFOCALS AT BILL GAITHER
AND SAID STRAIGHTFORWARDLY, “AIN’T SELLING!”  BILL GAITHER RESPONDED,
“I KNOW, BUT WE TEACH SCHOOL HERE AND THOUGHT MAYBE YOU’D BE
INTERESTED IN SELLING TO SOMEONE PLANNING TO SETTLE IN THE AREA.”  THE
OLD MAN CURIOUSLY ASKED, “WHAT DID YOU SAY YOUR NAME WAS YOUNG
MAN?”  BILL REPLIED, “GAITHER, BILL GAITHER SIR.  THE OLD MAN SAID,
“HMMM, ANY RELATION TO GROVER GAITHER”’ “YES SIR” SAID BILL, “THAT WAS
MY GRANDFATHER.” MR. YULE THEN PUT DOWN HIS PAPER AND REMOVED HIS
 GLASSES AND SAID, “THAT’S INTERESTING, GROVER GAITHER WAS THE BEST
WORKER I EVER HAD ON MY FARM, FULL DAY’S WORK FOR A DAY’S PAY, AND SO
HONEST.  WHAT’D YOU SAY YOU WANTED YOUNG MAN?”  BILL GAITHER AGAIN
ASKED ABOUT THE LAND AND THE OLD MAN SAID FOR HIM TO COME BACK A
COUPLE DAYS LATER, HE WOULD THINK ABOUT IT.  A WEEK LATER HE WENT
BACK AND THE OLD MAN SAID OK -- AND ONLY $3,800 FOR 15 ACRES!   IT WAS
WORTH MORE THAN 3 TIMES THAT.  THE GOOD NAME OF HIS GRANDDAD HAD
WON HIM THAT LAND!  A WONDERFUL PATTERN HAD BEEN SET IN HIS FAMILY BY
AN EARLY RELATIVE THAT PAID DIVIDENDS GENERATIONS LATER!  – SOURCE
UNKNOWN
 
4.   Establishing these patterns before the demands of
adulthood come helps to frame the way we will
respond the rest of our life.
a.   It is important to give attention to those
spiritual dynamics early in life.
b.   This builds the frame of reference that we will
respond from.
 
B.   Pressures!    12:lb
1.   The author now explains the meaning of his
command to remember God in youth, because
tougher days will come that will be hard to deal with
and only a frame of eternity can help us through
those temporal sufferings!
a.   Inevitably our frailties will show, not so much in
youth, but later in life.
b.   These “breakdowns” will make it difficult to
appreciate life unless we have a larger frame of
reference in which to place suffering, hence the
importance of remembering the good days of
youth and our Creator.
2.   It is important for those coping mechanisms to be
already in place before the tough times come, this is
the author’s point.
a.   The course of growing older includes greater
pressures and less physical strength; therefore we
need something in our inner man to carry us
through.
b.   Forewarning here is the point; take the time to
be prepared spiritually when young!
 
ILLUS:     LIKETHE MIGHTY NIAGARA RIVER WHICH PLUMMETS SOME 180 FEET
AT THE FALLS.  BEFORE THE FALLS HOWEVER THERE ARE MIGHTY VIOLENT
 RAPIDS, AND FURTHER UPSTREAM IT IS QUITE PEACEFUL, HERE BOATS ARE
ALLOWED ON THE RIVER.  AS A BOAT GLIDES DOWN THE RIVER HOWEVER, THEY
WILL ARRIVE AT A POINT WHERE THEY WILL READ THIS SIGN: “DO YOU HAVE AN
ANCHOR?” FOLLOWED BY THIS “DO YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT?” THE ONLY SAFE
WAY TO BE ON THE RIVER AT THIS POINT IS TO HAVE PREPARED IN ADVANCE
BEFORE TRAVELING DOWN IT THIS FAR ... THE VERY POINT THE WRITER
IN ECCLESIASTES 12:1 IS TRYING TO MAKE!  – SOURCE UNKNOWN
 
3.   We have only one chance to be young, how critical
for youth to recognize the importance of knowing
God at this stage of their life, they will later look
back and thank God for the knowledge of the Lord
when young!
a.   Remembering God while young will also help you
fight against the temptations of youth and thus
avoid consequences that can last a lifetime.
b.   Many young people ruin their lives or complicate
them later by ignoring God’s laws when young!
 
II.  FRUSTRATING STRUGGLES   12:2-8
 
A.   Physical   12:2-5
1.   The author now launches into a vivid picture of
diminishing capacities as we age!
a.   Poor eyesight
b.   Weakness
c.   Hearing problems
d.   Sleep problems
e.   Graying hair and decreasing muscle tone
f.    Endurance decreasing
g.   Greater effort at doing little things
2.   This is the one positive thing about aging and
spiritual life, while our physical capacities decrease
with age our spiritual capacities can actually
increase!
3.   What we lose physically, we can gain spiritually!
4.   This picture is not intended to discourage but to
simply call attention to the importance of not
neglecting God while young, when it is much easier
to set a foundation of spiritual dynamics in our life.
a.   As we age more of our attention gets diverted to
burdens and needs, this is where that foundation
really pays off, we have the strength to deal with
 them then!
b.   Those who keep God in their youth never lose
the inner strength, even when the outer strength
is gone!
 
ILLUS:     IN JUNE OF 1955 WINSTON CHURCHILL WAS NEARING HIS DEATH.  HE
WAS ASKED IF HE COULD GIVE ONE MORE PUBLIC SPEECH TO
A BRITISH UNIVERSITY.  HE AGREED EVEN THOUGH HE WAS TERRIBLY ILL.  HE
HAD TO BE HELPED TO THE PODIUM AND WHEN HE GOT THERE FOR SOME TIME
HE JUST STOOD HANGING ON THE SIDES TO KEEP HIMSELF UP, HIS HEAD BOWED
DOWN FOR SOME TIME BEFORE HE RAISED IT TO SPEAK ... AS IT WAS, FOR THE
LAST TIME IN PUBLIC.  AFTER MUCH SILENCE HE FINALLY RAISED HIS HEAD AND
UTTERED THESE WORDS, “NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE UP!”
AND THEN HE RETURNED TO HIS SEAT.  THE AUDIENCE SAT SILENT FOR SOME
TIME, AND THEN TOGETHER THEY SUDDENLY EXPLODED WITH APPLAUSE!  THE
FIGHTING PATTERN OF HIS SOUL HAD LONG BEEN ESTABLISHED IN HIS HEART
FROM YOUTH AND EVEN THOUGH HIS BODY WAS WASTED HIS SPIRIT
CONQUERED!  – SOURCE UNKNOWN
 
5.   You will need something to carry you through the
years of decline, which will be the patterns you
established in youth ... “remember your creator in
the days of your youth!”
 
B.   Perspective   12:6-8
1.   Now the author adds, “Remember Him before the
silver cord is severed.”
a.   When death starts to close in, the most vivid
memories that we keep are those of our youth!
b.   The last things to leave us are our oldest
memories, this demonstrates why it is therefore
important to remember God while young; this will
be some of the longest memories for us to hang
on to!
c.   While the elderly may sometimes forget the
things of the recent past, they retain vivid
memories of the distant past.
2.   This provides then a shelter for older age, when
death is not far away!
a.   These memories of serving God in youth will
bring a sense of joy and satisfaction even at a
time when the physical decline would bring
discouragement!
b.   The ability to look back and feel good about your
 life is established by the patterns of our youth!
3.   There will be nothing more satisfying in old age
than to be able to look back and see the hand of God
from your youth to your death!
a.   This will help us put our life in perspective.
b.   It will give great meaning and wealth to our life if
we have walked with God through it all!
c.   The lifetime of walking with God will enable us to
be masters of our fate!
 
ILLUS:   A WOMAN HAPPENED TO RUN INTO THE FAMOUS PAINTER PICASSO AT A
RESTAURANT, AND SO BOLDLY SHE APPROACHED THE MASTER AND ASKED HIM
IF HE WOULD PLEASE JUST SCRIBBLE SOMETHING ON HER NAPKIN, SAYING SHE
WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY HIM WHATEVER HE FELT THE QUICK DRAWING WOULD
BE WORTH.  PICASSO TOOK HER NAPKIN AND DREW SOMETHING AND HANDED IT
TO HER ADDING, “THAT MY FINE LADY WILL BE $10,000 DOLLARS!” THE
STUNNED WOMAN THEN SAID, “BUT YOU DID THAT DRAWING IN BARELY 30
SECONDS!”  PICASSO ANSWERED, “NO, IT HAS TAKEN ME 4O YEARS TO DO
THAT!”  – SOURCE UNKNOWN
 
4.   The seeming “easy” faith of those who are older did
not come so easy, it was the lifetime discipline of
serving God from their youth onward, their faith may
appear to come easy only because it has been
practiced so long.  The foundation of youth was
established on God!
a.   Those who grow up without God get more and
more despondent as they age, for all they know is
loss and the soon approaching death, life loses
meaning for them as they age, they dread time as
it marches on!
b.   But for believers, we know that death is not the
end, thus for those who have lived for God, they
find meaning in old age, satisfaction that reward
awaits them, they can look back satisfied, and
not fear the future!
c.   This is the perspective of those who remember
God in their youth, and carry their faith
throughout their life!
 
III.  FAITH & SURVIVAL   12:13
 
A.   Personal   12:13a
 1.   “Fear God” ... a personal call.
a.   This kind of fear means “respect” or “honor!”
b.   The bottom line to the whole book of
Ecclesiastes is found in this verse, a call to
personalize our relationship with the Creator
God!
2.   To “fear God” in such a way that you are too afraid
to let go of the Lord!
a.   It may be hard to serve the Lord but have you
ever considered the alternative? It is much
harder not too!
b.   God offers us safety for our soul; the alternative
is to lose that soul!
c.   “Hanging on” is not a bad option, “letting go” of
God may prove to be more dangerous!
 
ILLUS:    LIKE A MAN NAMED HENRY DEMPSEY WHO WAS TAKING A COMMUTER
FLIGHT FROM PORTLAND, MAINE TO BOSTON.  HENRY WAS THE PILOT OF THE
PLANE.  AFTER TAKING OFF HE KEPT HEARING A NOISE IN THE REAR OF THE
SMALL PLANE.  FINALLY HE DECIDED TO GO LOOK.  HE TURNED THE CONTROLS
OVER TO HIS CO-PILOT AND WENT TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE TO LOOK
AROUND. HE DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM QUICKLY ENOUGH, AS SOON AS HE GOT
NEAR THE TAIL THE PLANE HIT AN AIR POCKET THROWING DEMPSEY AGAINST
THE DOOR WHICH IMMEDIATELY POPPED OPEN SINCE IT WAS LOOSE ALREADY ...
THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE TO BEGIN WITH.  HE WAS INSTANTLY SUCKED OUT
OF THE PLANE AS THE DOOR OPENED.  HIS CO-PILOT SAW THE RED LIGHT COME
ON INDICATING AN OPEN REAR DOOR AND HE RADIOED THE NEAREST AIRPORT
FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING.  HE REPORTED THE LOSS OF HIS PILOT AND
REQUESTED A HELICOPTER SEARCH BE MADE OVER THE AREA WHERE HIS DOOR
SUDDENLY BLEW OPEN.  HE HAD HOPED THEY WOULD FIND THE BODY OF HIS
FRIEND FOR THE FAMILY.  AFTER THE PLANE LANDED THEY FOUND HENRY
DEMPSEY ALL RIGHT, HANGING ON STILL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER OF
THE AIRCRAFT!  HE HAD HUNG ON FOR 10 MINUTES AS THE PLANE FLEW AT 200
MILES PER HOUR AT AN ALTITUDE OF 4,OOO FEET, AND THEN WHILE LANDING
SOMEHOW KEPT HIS HEAD FROM HITTING THE RUNWAY, WHICH WAS ONLY 12
INCHES AWAY!  IT TOOK SEVERAL MINUTES FOR AIRPORT PERSONNEL TO PRY
HIS FINGERS OPEN FROM CLUTCHING THE LADDER.  HE HAD WEIGHED THE
CONSEQUENCES OF HOLDING ON AGAINST THOSE OF LETTING GO AND DECIDED
THE PAIN OF HOLDING ON WAS LESS THAN THE PAIN OF LETTING GO!   THERE’S A
GOOD MESSAGE HERE ABOUT HANGING ON TO GOD VERSES LETTING GO ... HANG
ON BRETHREN!  – SOURCE UNKNOWN
 
3.   It is better to fear God more than fearing this world!
 
B.   Plan    12:13b
1.   “...keep His commandments, for this is the whole
duty of man.”
a.   This is the bottom line to all of the arguments
 presented throughout the book of Ecclesiastes!
b.   This again points back to verse 1: “Remember
your creator in the days of your youth” ... those
who do will obey God’s commands all their lives!
2.   What we lay down as our foundation for life in our
youth is what will drive us throughout our lifetime!
3.   Those who remember God in their youth are likely
to make His commandments their rule for living!
a.   This will bring a harvest of spiritual fruit and
thus satisfaction in old age.
b.   This will enable us to handle life from an eternal
perspective which is a much broader frame of
mind than just the here and now!
4.   Our plans will be built on whatever foundation we
set in youth, remembering our Creator God will
ensure that our plans include Him throughout our
life, and His commands.
a.   It is our duty to obey God’s ways if we want the
best here and now, as well as then!
b.   If you have forgotten your creator in your youth
you are not likely to remember Him in your old
age.  It is never too late however, just tear down
the bad foundation and start building the right
one now, it is never too late, but how much better
to do this in youth!
 
CONCLUSION:   Every house has a foundation, without one it
could not be stable or stay standing for long.  It will have to
stand against storms, earthquakes, weathering. Etc.  The
better the foundation, the more durable the house, the same
is true in life, if we establish an early foundation based on a
relationship with God we will more easily endure the storms of
life.  The patterns of our life are set in youth, so set them in
Christ!  This is what it means to “REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR
IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH!”
 KNOWING GOD
Intro.
1. Many say: "I know God." Do they? Do you? What does it mean to
know God?
2. Know - "to become acquainted with, to know" (Thayer, 117); "to
know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of" (Online Bible
Dictionary).
3. It is important, because:
  a. To know God is eternal life - Jno. 17:3.
  b. Those who do not know God are eternally punished - 2 Ths. 1:8-
9.
4. To know God means to have knowledge of God and to have a
relationship with Him.

I. KNOWING GOD MEANS HAVING A RELATIONSHIP

WITH HIM WHICH IS BASED ON AN UNDERSTANDING
OF GOD.
  A. One Can Have Knowledge About God, Yet Not Know God.
    1. Jno. 8:19 - They had knowledge of God, but didn't understand
& have fellowship with either the Father or the Son!
    2. Jno. 15:18-21; 16:1-3 - Apostles & saints persecuted because
the world didn't "know" the Father.
      a. Cf. Saul - Had knowledge about God, but didn't "know" God
while he was persecuting the church - l Tim. 1:12-14.
      b. Did it ignorantly in unbelief.
  B. Jesus Came to Earth Was to Reveal God to Man - Jno. 1:18.
    1. Col. 1:15 - To give man a clear manifestation of God.
    2. This is essential, for until one has a knowledge of God, he
cannot "know" Him (enter a relationship with Him).
  C. When We Know Christ, We Know the Father - Jno. 14:6-9.
    1. Before we can know Christ (enter relationship with Him), we
must learn of Him - Jno. 6:45.
    2. Likewise, to have a relationship with the Father (know God),
we must first learn about Him - cf. Heb. 11:6.
      a. Through nature we learn His divinity - Rom. 1:20; Acts 14:17.
      b. Through revelation we learn His will - 1 Cor. 2:1, 13.
    3. But, learning of God isn't all there is to knowing Him - Rom.
1:21-22.

II. TO KNOW GOD MEANS TO HAVE AN

UNDERSTANDING OF GOD & TO BE OBEDIENT TO GOD.
  A. When We Obey God We Know God - 2 Ths. 1:8; 1 Jno. 2:3-6.
    1. 2:3 - Keep commandments. Jno. 14:23 - Relationship formed.
    2. 2:5 - Keep word - Love of God in our lives.
    3. 2:6 - In fellowship with God when we walk as Christ did.
  B. When One Knows God He Accepts the Apostles' Teachings - 1
Jno. 4:6.
    1. Contradiction to say we are pleasing God if we are rejecting the
inspired message! - 2 Jno. 9
    2. NT (apostles' writings) instructs us how to walk (live) as Christ
walked (lived) - 1 Jno. 1:3-4; 2:5-6.
  C. To Know God Means to Be in Christ - 1 Jno. 5:20.
    1. Can not know God & reject His Son Jesus Christ.
    2. Gal. 3:26-27 - Be baptized into Christ through faith.

III. IN THIS UNDERSTANDING, OBEDIENT

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, WE SHOULD KNOW THAT:
  A. God Knows Us.
    1. Psa. 139:1-4 - God is acquainted with everything about us (our
actions, thoughts, words).
    2. Jno. 10:14 - This enables Him to care for us.
    3. Gal. 4:8-9 - In Christ, He recognizes us as His children (4:5).
  B. God Loves Us - 1 Jno. 4:9-10.
    1. He still loves us in spite of our sins against Him! 
    2. 4:7-8 - Therefore, we must love one another in the same way to
know God! (Even when others do us wrong!)
  C. God Sees Us (our every need). 
    1. And, He will always provide them.
    2. Matt. 6:8, 32 - Of this we can be assured.
    3. Heb. 13:5 - He is always nearby to help.
    4. Matt. 7:7-8, 11 - Tap our source of blessings!

Conclusion
1. Do you know God? Perhaps you know about God, but do not
really know Him (have a relationship with Him).
2. Change that right now by obeying the gospel of Christ in faith &
allowing God to come into your life (Gal. 3:26-27).

Summary: This passage of Scripture raises a very interesting

question. WHY? Why should the young remember God and serve
Him in their youth?

 1

 2

 Next

  Study Tools

WHY SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE SERVE GOD?

Eccl. 12:1

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil
days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have
no pleasure in them;
Every day we live, we grow one day older. There are some old
people who wish they were younger and some young people who
wish they were older. The human race has a tendency to think that
they are never at the right age. That is why God wrote this verse of
Scripture. "Remember now they Creator in the days of your youth."

Some of us as we grow older will do so with gracefully. And others

will grow older ungracefully. We all know some older people who
are sweet, kind and really nice to be with. We also know some older
people who are hateful and totally discouraging to be around. Well,
that would be true with folks of any age.

Growing older day by day is not something of which we have

control. How we choose to live each one of those days is something
of which we do have control. How we are going to age is a choice
we can make. God desires that you and I learn to age with grace and
dignity and so in His Word He gives us instruction as to how to age
gracefully. The 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes is God’s pattern for
easing into old age with grace and dignity.

That is what our text today is all about. How to live life from our
youth to our old age and do it with all the fullness life can offer.

Remember that Jesus said to us, "I have come that you might have
life and have it more abundantly."

THE TEXT:

THE COMMANDMENT: "YOU REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR

IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH"

The question I came up with is WHY? Why should the young

remember God and serve Him in their youth?

T/S I CAN THINK OF 4 REALLY GOOD REASON.

THE VISION - Your creator .

If there is a God – If you must spend eternity somewhere – If He

love you and created you and has a plan and purpose for your life –
Having that for a life vision is one of the wisest things you can do.

I have pastor now for many years. I have seen many, many young
people saved and dedicate their life to the Lord Jesus. I have lived
long enough to see some of them serve God for years and I have
never heard one of them say, "I really wish that I had waited until I
was older.

I have seen several people saved in the last years of their life. I have
heard almost all of them express with regret that they did not give
their life to God while they were younger.

You need to know your creator when you are young and that He has
every claim on your life and the way that you live it.

THE VIGOR

The Apostle Paul said to a young man:

1 Tim. 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.

Without the youth – the church will die. It is the young people who
bring vigor and vitality to the programs of our church.

I have heard people say, "Young people are the future of our
church". I know they mean well but that is really a bad statement to
make. The young people are not the future of our church but they are
and active part of our church right now.

Did you notice the challenge that Paul gave the young man,
Timothy?

Be an example:

In Word – In conversation (your manner of life) – In love – In Spirit

– In faith – In purity.

Paul admonition to the young – After I’m gone keep it going.

I believe that a real part of the Great Commission is stated in 2 Tim.

2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many
witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able
to teach others also."

THE VENTURE

Did you notice the phrase, "Before you end up and have to say, "I
have had no pleasure in life".

Heb 13:5b . . . . . . . for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.

There is not another life style that will bring the joy, encouragement,
fulfillment and contentment that comes from living for Jesus.

I want to give you a personal testimony. I have been saved for 50

years. Every day of my life has been an exciting adventure. I can’t
even begin to think of passing through this life and not living it as a
child of God. It is the abundant life.

Do you want to have a thrilling and exciting life? Do you want to

wake up every morning and jump out of bed exciting about the
coming day. Well, get on board with Jesus. You will never regret a
day spent living for Him.

THE VICTORY
Want to have total victory? Paul gave us the secret.

2Tim. 4:6-8 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my

departure is at hand.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith:

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which

the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

I would like for you to picture yourself standing before the judgment
seat of Jesus. You gave your life to him while you were young. You
walked with Him through all the struggles and trials you faced. He
got you through and was faithful to you in every turn of your life. He
was with you.

That final day has now come. You can hold up your head and say, "I
was not faithful in everything, Lord but you and I walked together all
the way. THAT IS A LIFE OF VICTORY.

Being Useful in Your Youth

1. Introduction – This is one of the first “lessons” I ever typed up

for a Church assembly.  This intro was originally just a few
verbal cues to introduce myself and my lesson.   It, like several
of my early lessons, are in outline form probably because I was
freshly graduated from college and was used to using outlines
 for studying and writing projects.  Like the title says, this
lesson was given before a youth assembly and meant to
encourage young people that God has a plan and a place for
everyone, regardless of age or station.
2. Scripture verse – Ecclesiastes 11:9 “Rejoice, O young man, in
your youth.  And let your heart cheer you in the days of your
youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your
eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into
judgement.  Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember now your Creator in
the days of your youth.”  Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His
commandments for this is man’s all.  For God will bring every
work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether
good or evil.”  God made you unique!  You are unlike anyone
else.  God wants to use who you are and what you are to do
something great for Him!  But remember that one day God will
judge us and our works and that we are to honor God with our
time and talents.
3. Knowing God’s word is important to being useful to God.  
Spend time getting to know God’s word through Sunday
School, Church attendance, Quiet time and personal study.  As
you read and study the Holy Spirit will use passages and verses
to speak to you in a very real and personal way.  Remember
these verses and commit them to memory as personal messages
from your Heavenly Father.  An important one for me is
Jeremiah 29:11 which says “For I know the thoughts that I
think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of
evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Do you have a future and
a hope?  If not, let Jesus into your life today.
4. The message of the cross of Jesus Christ, the Bible and God
himself is summed up in one word.  Love.  Love your neighbor
as yourself and love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul
and mind!  If you commit your life to this type of Love you
will never go wrong.
 5. Conclusion – Like the introduction, this was not part of the
original typed sheet.  Coming back and reading this 15 or more
years later and still being inspired by what God showed me in
this little lesson is a neat experience and an encouragement to
continue growing and learning.  Thank you Lord, for preparing,
teaching and instructing your children out of your Word!

Knowing the God Who Knows You

Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself how many times you are photographed in a day?
When you walk into the bank or return your cart to the corral in the parking lot,
somewhere there is a camera marking your every move. Our world is full of blue
lights on street corners and whirring cameras mounted on walls. Yet David tells us
here in Psalm 139 that at every moment of the day, we are under a much higher
scrutiny. He reveals that the secret to understanding ourselves is to know the God
who knows us. We shouldn't be surprised.

God knows us inside and out.

The Psalmist begins by acknowledging that God knows us better than we know
ourselves. He is aware of every action and anticipates our innermost thoughts.
What is more, David describes this as an active, rather than a passive, knowledge.

Verse 1 begins: "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me." I think it's
important to note that David isn't addressing us. He is addressing God. This is
David's way of saying that he knows that God knows him. As David continues, he
describes the extent of God's knowledge. He points out that God's knowledge of
him is expansive. David pictures God watching from a distance: "You know when I
sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out
and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." Is it possible that in this
age of security cameras and satellite images, the wonder of this truth is lost on
us? To be honest, I think we are so used to being under surveillance that we
hardly notice anymore.

But the knowledge God has of us is not only expansive, it is also deeply personal.
David describes God as seeing us from afar, but that doesn't mean that he thinks
that God is far off. This God who knows us knows us from the inside. David uses
the language of "perception" and "discernment" to characterize God's knowledge
of him. "You perceive my thoughts," he says. "You discern my going out and my
lying down. You are familiar with my ways."

People tell me that I am a fairly transparent "read" in meetings. They say they can
tell when I'm bored. They can especially tell when I'm irritated. Then there is my
wife Jane, who has lived with me long enough to read the signs that other people
can't read. She usually knows what I am thinking even when I am trying to mask
it. But the knowledge of God has of us goes one step further. It's not just that he
knows us well enough to read us from a distance. His knowledge of us is so deep
that he can see us coming and going. According to verse 4, this knowledge is so
complete that it is predictive: "Before a word is on my tongue, you know it
completely, O Lord."

Is David saying that God can read his mind? Well, yes, in a manner of speaking.
But he is saying more than that. He is saying that God sees our thoughts before
they are fully formed. This is what he really means when he says that God
perceives his thoughts from "afar." The distance the Psalmist has in view is
temporal.

I suppose this could raise questions. For example, it could raise questions about
prayer. If God knows what I'm going to say before I say it, why do I need to pray?
Why doesn't he just look into the future, anticipate my request, and grant the
answer before I put it into words? In fact, there are times when he does just that.
Analyze God's answers to our prayers, and you will often find that in order for the
timing to work, the answer had to be set in motion before we ever uttered the
words! We often experience what God promised to Jerusalem in Isaiah 65:24:
"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear."
Still, some will ask: "Why go through the charade of asking God if he already
knows what I'm going to say?" Is prayer some kind of game? Is God teasing me—
like someone who holds my desire behind his back, waiting for me to use just the
right words, all the while knowing what it is that I want and knowing that he can
grant my desire?" The trouble with this view is not just that it reflects an
unworthy view of God. Its root problem is that it misunderstands the nature of
prayer. It assumes that prayer is primarily functional. It assumes that the main
reason we pray is to get what we want. That may actually be true where we are
concerned. I confess to you that if you were to analyze my prayers, you would
soon find that they have more in common with a grocery list than with a
conversation or letter. But there is more to prayer than the answer. There is more
to prayer than the asking. Prayer is a relational encounter.

In his book entitled Beginning to Pray, Anthony Bloom writes: " … it is very

important to remember that prayer is an encounter and a relationship, a
relationship which is deep, and this relationship cannot be forced either on us or
on God." Bloom warns that one of the great dangers we face in this area is the
temptation to take an impersonal approach to prayer. There are many times
when we are ready to pray, but we are not ready to receive God. "We want
something from him but him not at all," Bloom warns. This can be true even of
passionate prayer. Bloom asks us to think of those times when our prayers are
marked by warmth and intensity, when the prayer concerns someone we love or
something that matters to us. "Then your heart is open and all inner self is
recollected in the prayer," Bloom writes. "Does it mean that God matters to you?
No, it does not. It simply means that the subject matters of your prayer matters to
you."

How do I overcome this tendency? Well, it is not a matter of methodology. The

problem isn't that I have been using the wrong posture or language. No, the real
problem is our angle of vision. The problem is that I haven't learned to see God as
David sees him—to see him as a God who knows me deeply and personally, a God
who is acquainted with my thoughts, a God who speaks my language and
anticipates my words. This is a God who knows me better than I know myself. I
don't know what I am going to say before I say it. I don't know what my thoughts
are going to be tomorrow. But God does. He knows not only my thoughts but my
ways; he knows the paths I travel.

God sees us coming and going.

Here the Psalmist shifts his focus from God's knowledge to God's presence, and in
a sense he changes his perspective. In verses 5-12, the picture is not one of a God
who discerns our thoughts from afar but of a God who is close up: "You hem me
in, behind and before," the Psalmist writes. "You have laid your hand upon me."
The biblical poet sees himself running into God again and again. Is God behind
him? Well, yes he is. But God is also in front of him. David has been surrounded
by God and God's hand is continually on him.

David conducts a kind of mental experiment, imagining what it would be like to

try and escape God. He poses the test question in verse. 7: "Where can I go from
your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Then he establishes the
boundaries of his experiment in verses 8-9: "If I go up to the heavens, you are
there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the
dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea …." First, he explores height and the
depth. If he ascends into the heavens above, God is already there. If he descends
into the deepest part of the earth, God is there too. Next, he explores the
expanse of the globe. If David were to "rise on the wings of the dawn"—if he were
to rise with the sun and follow its course from horizon to horizon until he set with
it on the far side of the sea, the result would be no different. He would find God
there too. David concludes that flight from God is impossible. Not because God is
relentless in pursuit, but because anywhere he might go God is already there.
Everywhere that David goes, he runs into God.

But David makes a further point: not only is God with him wherever he goes, but
God is also guiding him. Verse 10 says: "even there your hand will guide me, your
right hand will hold me fast." How we think about this overall picture depends
upon whether we understand God to be dealing with us as a friend or a foe. If the
policeman lays his hand on you to apprehend you, there is little comfort in that
touch. You would feel very different if the hand that rested on your shoulder was
that of a friend or a lover. If you are about to slip on the ice, the strong grip of
someone who holds you fast is reassuring. But if your intent is to flee, you would
feel about that grip the way a prisoner does his shackles. You would hate it; you
would strain against it.

I noticed something about my two sons when they moved from childhood into
adolescence. I noticed that my boys responded differently to my touch as they got
older. When they were little, they seemed eager to hug me. They would jump into
my arms and cling to me with all their might. When they became teenagers,
things changed. Oh, they still let me hug them. But in their teen years, they
stiffened, ever so slightly. Suddenly, there was a resistance that wasn't there
before. What changed? Some of it I am sure can be attributed to the
awkwardness of adolescence. Many teenagers seem to go through a stage where
they feel uncomfortable showing affection. But I think the change was also a
symbol of their growing independence. The autonomy they declared with their
body language was matched by many of the choices they made. They stiffened
against the constraints Jane and I had placed on them, just as they did my
embrace. The rules and standards that we saw as an expression of love and a
means of protection, they mistook for a prison.

So which is it for you, when it comes to God's strong hand of love? Is it a source of
comfort to you or something that you stiffen against and resist? Does the
inescapable presence of God make you feel protected? Is that steady footfall that
you hear the mark of a faithful companion? A guide? A rear guard who's got your
back? Or do you feel like God has laid siege to your soul? Do you see his relentless
pursuit as the pursuit of an adversary?

If we are honest, we would probably have to say a little of both. Even David, as he
describes his experience in this Psalm seems a little ambivalent. He seems
comforted and uncomfortable at the same time. In verses 11-12, he seems to
imagine what it would be like to try and hide from God under the cover of
darkness: "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night
around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the
day, for darkness is as light to you."
If you are trying to navigate an unfamiliar landscape in the dark, the thought that
God sees as clearly in the darkness as in the light is good news. But not if you are
trying to use the darkness for cover! In these verses David makes it clear: we are
transparent before God. There is no way to cover ourselves. We can't run. We
can't hide. We can't put up a smokescreen that obscures the true state of our
heart or our actions. God sees everything with complete clarity. You may be able
fool your neighbor. You can even deceive yourself. But God? Well, He's got your
number. He sees you coming and going—and for good reason. He isn't just some
heavenly spectator to the drama of your life. He is the author.

God is the architect of your soul.

God is your creator. And he has been involved in your life from the very
beginning. Verse 13 reads: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me
together in my mother's womb." The Hebrew word that the NIV translates as
"created" in this verse is a word that means to "purchase" or "get." God is
pictured as the artisan who purchased the material that makes up our innermost
parts and has woven them together. This is intricate work that causes David to
marvel at God's skill. More importantly, he describes it as something for which to
be thankful: "I will give thanks unto thee;" he declares in verse 14, "I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know
that full well." When he speaks of being made in "the secret place" and "woven
together in the depths of the earth" in verse 15, he is using poetic language to
describe human conception and development. The Psalmist sees his "frame" and
his "unformed body" not only as a work of God, but as the work of an artisan.

This is a radically different worldview than the one that would see the unformed
fetus as a blob of tissue. According to God's word, human conception is not an
accidental process but an intentional one. The modernist looks at the human form
as a machine, a mere collection of cells, or a consequence of random forces. But
the Psalmist sees it as a work of God. What is more, he sees God at work in the
entire scope of his life. Not just at his conception, but also during "all the days
ordained" for him. The same God who is at work in the womb continues to work
in my life once I leave the womb. He saw me when I was unformed. He keeps a
record of my days.

This thought moves David to praise in verses 17-18: "How precious to me are your
thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would
outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you."

The contrast between Psalmist's view and that of modern man is not only striking,
it is tragic. The Psalmist sees the human embryo as something sacred. "Fearfully
and wonderfully made" are the words he uses. He sees it as the intricate weaving
of God—a mysterious work, a marvelous work. It is a work of art—a work of God.
The Psalmist sees human life as something to be celebrated and for which God
deserves praise. And modern man? Well, modern man treats the human embryo
the same way he treats a tumor—something to be scraped away and discarded.
Or else he treats it like a commodity—something to be harvested for the benefit
of others or something to be bought and sold in the market place. This is a base,
degraded view of humanity. It is a view that can only lead to further degradation,
because if you do not value life while it is in the womb, how can you value it
outside the womb? Do not be deceived by the rhetoric you hear. This is not a
political issue. It is a moral issue. And make no mistake about it: there is no
common ground between those two points of view. The distance between them
is the distance between light and darkness.

How did we come to this place? How have we fallen so far? How have we come to
have such a low view of ourselves? The answer is a simple one and it resounds
throughout this Psalm: We lost sight of ourselves when we lost sight of God. It is
God who gives us life. It is God who gives us purpose. It is God who gives us
dignity. Rule God out of the equation and what do you have? A mass of cells and
little more. A piece of tissue. A commodity.

John Calvin begins the Institutes of the Christian Religion with the assertion that
the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves are related. "Nearly all the
wisdom we possess," Calvin writes, "that is to say, true and sound wisdom,
consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves." Calvin goes on to
say that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first
looked upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating God to scrutinize
himself. But, Calvin points out, what we learn about ourselves is not entirely
comfortable. Because when we consider ourselves in the light of God, we see
both "what we were like when we were first created and what our condition
became after the fall of Adam."

This is precisely the trajectory the Psalmist takes in his thinking, as he moves from
contemplating the wonder of God's work in conception to considering himself. In
doing so, he does two things: he aligns himself with God's purposes, and he asks
God to search him. He aligns himself with God's purposes by differentiating
himself from the wicked. Verse 19-22 read: "If only you would slay the wicked, O
God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,
and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I
count them my enemies." We are embarrassed by his sentiment—David's words
sound harsh to us—but that is only because we have lost our moral compass.

The Psalmist's uncomfortable words are a reminder that there really is such a
thing as evil. And it is right to denounce evil. But those who denounce evil in
others must be prepared to confront a more subtle enemy: they must be
prepared to face the evil in themselves. That's why the Psalmist concludes with a
prayer for himself in verses 23-24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test
me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting."

Conclusion

In a Christianity Today article entitled "Looking for Monsters," Kay Warren writes

that the first time she visited Rwanda, she went expecting it to be easy to spot the
monsters who had perpetrated that country's terrible genocide in 1994. "What I
found left me puzzled, and ultimately terrified," she writes.

Instead of finding leering, menacing creatures, I met men and women who looked
and behaved a lot like me. They took care of their families, went to work, chatted
with their neighbors, laughed, cried, prayed, and worshiped. Where were the
monsters? Where were the evildoers capable of heinous acts? Slowly, with a
deepening sense of dread, I realized the truth. There were no monsters in
Rwanda, just people like you and me.

The good news is that the God who is your creator is also you redeemer. This God
who knows you inside and out, the God who sees you coming and going, the God
who is the architect of your soul, is also the architect of your salvation. He is the
God who became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the
one who shed his blood. Your creator is also your redeemer—Jesus Christ: the
only one who saves us from our sin.

VALUE YOUTH AND YOUTHFULNESS. 

They are great resources in the Master’s cause.

POWER TIME WORD DAILY DEVOTIONS

#1420/2018 for 14 May 2018

BIBLE READING:
Genesis 8:21
Ecclesiastes 12:1
1 Timothy 4:12
2 Timothy 2:22

While many might suggest that one’s sunset years are the hardest, this writer's
own judgment would be that the period designated as youth might be the most
challenging.

Youth can be quite a frustrating time in life.

It is that period when one is hardly old enough to be on his own, and yet he is
feeling a sense of independence.

Youth are ever attempting to find some sense of identity; that is why they
sometimes act and dress so weird.
Each generation will see its youth's tastes and acts as bizarre!

The Scriptures represent youth as a time both of danger and challenge.

Moses said that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis
8:21).

St Paul admonished Timothy to, "flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).

By way of contrast, though, God the Creator recognizes the value of youth to the
divine cause.

Youngsters have energy, they are daring, their hearts are filled with visions of the
future.

Indeed, they can be a most valuable component in the service of Jehovah.

Solomon, who wasted much of his life in folly, perhaps thought better of the
matter in his declining days.

He contended, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before
the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, I have no pleasure
in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

St. Paul would say to Timothy, "Let no man despise your youth; but you be an
example to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in
purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

Our youth can be quite impetuous and sometimes a bit silly, they are,
nonetheless, a wonderful resource in the kingdom of heaven.

The fact is, the Bible is replete with examples of how God has used younger
people in some of the most vital roles in the unfolding of his marvelous plan of
redemption.

Joseph, Miriam, David, Josiah, Jeremiah, Mary, Timothy etc., were all young
people used by God for his purpose and his Kingdom.

RECOMMENDED ACTION
Realise today that youth and youthfulness can accomplish magnificent things for
the Master’s cause.

Always recognize this.

Our young people must not be ignored as empty-headed, silly people who are
unworthy of serious responsibility.

Do not overlook this valuable resource in the Master’s cause.

Be on the lookout for young people and encourage them along the way.

God can use them mightily, so pray for them and love them.

BIBLE VERSE TO MEDITATE ON

"Let no man despise your youth; but you be an example to them that believe, in
word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity."

(1 Timothy 4:12).