Youth With Vision - Donny Swartzentruber

Good evening, brothers and sisters. It's good to see you

here this evening. Welcome here, and wish for each of

you God's blessings and grace.

And we'd like to greet you tonight in the name of.

The One that the songwriter spoke of as a shepherd

of tender youth. And I'm thankful we can be together

this evening under His lordship. And again we're thankful we

can be together. And I pray that you would be

blessed this evening by the Lord. Pray the Lord would

bless you for being here. I know there are many

other things you could all be doing. God bless you.

Thank you for coming and for your prayers and support.

So last evening we thought about the importance of you

as and the Lord having the light on in your heart.

And I'm so sorry these little lights did not come

until this morning. They weren't here last night. Would have

liked to have had them, I didn't. There are a

fairly good number of these in that box or that

basket on top of the mail boxers in the back,

and maybe after the service is over, the usher could

get those down. Any of you wives, mothers that would

like to have that little lamp just as a reminder

of how important it is for you to have the

light of Jesus on in your heart. You're welcome to

take one of those with you if you would like to.

And now for the message this evening, our minds are

going back, our thoughts are going back to many years

ago in the valley of Elaw, where the people of

God were gathered together and camped on those hills close

to the Valley of Elaw. And they were in a deadlock,

so to speak, and they were like paralyzed. And we

turn our Bibles to first Samuel seventeen, and notice this setting.

It tells us in verse nineteen. For Samuel seventeen, verse nineteen, Now, Saul,

and they and all the men of Israel were in

the valley of Elaw.

They were fighting with the Philistines.

And then we have the account of David being called

by his father to go and check up on his brothers,

and so he goes. He obeys his father, and he goes,

and he goes out there, and when he's there, he

hears something, and he hears that the armies of Israel

are faltering and are kind of just in a turmoil,

and he hears about you know, one big man that

has them locked down, so to speak, in some ways,

and fearful and afraid. And then tonight we draw from

verse twenty nine were David, after hearing those.

Things, he said, is there not a cause?

In verse forty we see that David, it stands out

to us that he took his staff in his hand,

the shepherd boy he was, he chose him five smooth

stones out of the brook and put them in his

shepherd's bag which he had.

And then we go over. We'd like to read verses

fifty five through fifty six. Fifty five and fifty six.

It tells us and when Saul, that was King Saul,

Saul David go forth against the Philistine.

He said into Abner, the captain of the host, Abner.

Whose son is this youth? And Abner said, as I

soul liveth o king, I cannot tell. And the king said,

inquire thou whose son the stripling is? And as a

title for the message this evening, we we draw from

verse twenty nine, where David said, is there not a cause?

Indeed there is a cause. There's a great cause. We'd

like to title this message tonight Youth with a vision,

youth with vision, and as you listen to that message, youth,

we would hope that as you go from here that

you would think about this in days to come, just

like us men think about the staff fitting our hand

and the sisters thinking about the importance of having the

light on in their heart, for you to think about

the importance of.

Having a vision, having vision.

Joe, would be interesting to me tonight to know how

many of you are here that are from the ages

of thirteen and up that have never been married. And

I know I think we have some, maybe even older

brethren sisters here never been married. I just really appreciate

if you would stand this evening, I could see who

you are, thirteen years and up and you were never married.

Bless you, Thank you, very good, wonderful. That just seems

like it's almost half of everybody here.

So I have a.

Question for you while you're standing, and I'm just we're

so blessed, Bertha and I are blessed with older brothers

and sisters here that are faithfully serving the Lord. We

hope to get to a point on that later in

the message night, but I'd like for you to, especially

as you think.

Of you know, youth and younger ones to look around.

What would happen at Halsehm in a nite church if

all the rest of us that are here tonight would

suddenly be gone, and this work and this ministry, and

this church fellowship and the ongoing work of the church

here would suddenly be dropped in your hands.

What would happen at halseym in a nite church?

We trust the doors would stay open and the work

would go on, and people here would be blessed because

someone would see there there is a cause and have

vision and would continue this work, this important work. And

so thank you for standing. You can sit down, God

bless you. It's wonderful to have you here this evening.

Who can tell us what is the oldest what is

said to be the oldest.

Known Christian hymn? Does anyone knowing what that is? The

oldest known Christian hymn.

Dates all the way back to like one seventy AD,

So I'm told it's the oldest known Christian hymn. And

the title of that song is Shepherd of Tender Youth.

And I'd just like to share a few words from

this song with you as.

Youth this evening. So Shepherd of tender youth.

And that's the Lord Jesus guiding and love and truth

through devious ways.

That means cunning.

Ways, deceptive ways, remote ways, out of the way ways,

it means difficult things. He leads through those ways, Christ,

our triumphant King. And it says, we come thy name

to sing hither our children bring to shout thy praise.

Thou art, our holy Lord, the awe subduing word, the

healer of strife. Thou didst thyself a base that we

from sin's deep disgrace, that thou might'st save our race

and give us life. Verse four, the prayer is ever

be thou our guide, our shepherd, and our pride, our

staff and song. Jesus, Thou Christ of God, by thy

perennial word, lead us, where thou hast trod make our

faith strong.

A nugget in that verse.

Is asking the shepherd to lead us by his perennial

word word.

That is ever it lives, it.

Never dies, it is always alive, and by his word

he leads us. It's just interesting that it's said. That's

the oldest known Christian hymn, Shepherd of Tender Youth.

Dear youth.

Many years ago, Philip Cohen wrote an article and it

was like he was writing a Christian father's burden. He said,

youth is a time of beauty and strength. It is

also a time of many perils and struggles. But then

listen to what else Philip Cohen said youth? He said,

more lives are ruined during the time of youth than

in any other stage of life. That really grabs your attention,

doesn't it.

More lives are.

Ruined during the time of youth than any other stage

of life. You might not hear many other things we

would say this evening, or might not remember, but could

we endeavor to.

Impress these next few words on you.

To have vision, you have to stop and think and

consider and look around and study.

How many people do you think might even.

Be setting in these pews tonight that would wish for

an opportunity to just one more time to go back

to where you are tonight and do things differently, and

do it over and do some things, yes, different than

what they did.

So many people would love.

To have the opportunity to go back and redo something

that happened when they were right at the age you

are tonight. How many, how many people do you even

know that may have sat in these very pews at

one time in their life? And tonight are you know,

as far as you would know, are lost and dying

and without Christ and without hope. I didn't do this,

I thought today of I'm sure Derek would have helped

me out to bring a target and a bow and

arrow here tonight and have that target on the wall

and to draw that bow, and to impress you with

the thought, youth, you have one shot, one shot at life.

And then this is what I really want you to

Just remember, you are going to be reaping blessings or

the opposite of blessings for the rest of your life

for decisions you make in these days of your life,

in these years, you are making some of the most

important decisions you've ever made today, tomorrow and in your

young life. And it's so important for you to stop

and you look, look, stop and consider, look at people

that made decisions that you're thinking about making. What fifty

years ago they made these decisions, and study think about

where they are today. Did these decisions they did this

or that or the other. Was it a good decision, did.

It help them?

Did it result in blessings for their family, their life,

or are there cases we could think about where wrong

decisions were made? And today there's broken families and homes,

there's divorce and remarriage, and and it's just it's just

a very sad picture. And none of us we don't

do it perfectly, We don't get it done perfectly.

But we need vision.

We desperately need vision, and we would you know, I

can't think of me any other things would be more

important for us to impress you as youth with tonight

than to encourage you to stop and consider and to

be youth with vision. You know, we want you to

receive blessings and live a life of just having abundant

blessings flowing into your life for the rest of your life,

because decisions you're making today and tomorrow and the next

day and life will not be easy.

It will not be a bit of roses, but it's

going to make so much difference in your life. There

are so.

Many that would want to go back to where you

are tonight. You have one shot, make it a good one.

With vision. Ask others how you.

Shoot that arrow the era of your life? What are

some things important for me? And just draw from them. Now,

those things are so absent from what.

Youth normally do, right, I mean.

Youth is a time of it's just like Phil Corn said,

beauty and strength and you know, and it's right.

It's good. We play, you have energy, you enjoy life

and things happening.

But take time to ask questions and draw from people

with experience and people that have been there before, and

ask them, you know, what they think, and be sincere

about it.

It's going to make such a difference in your life.

Isn't it going to be wonderful that ten years down

the road, at twenty or thirty, that you can look

back and see some choices you made. I didn't know

I was going to say this tonight, but you you know,

last night I said something about Mama calling out across

the field.

I want to tell you, Mama didn't say, Donnie, don't go, Donnie,

you daren't go, Donnie.

No. No, Mama just said, Donnie, where are you going?

And I remember so well, Mama sitting down with me

and asking me a few more.

Questions, and me making some choices and decisions that helped

me go a good direction.

Oh, youth, bless the Lord and bless the people that

are around you, that love you, that would, like we

said the other night, actually take a bullet for you,

so to speak, just to bring out the point the

people that care for you and want to shepherd you.

Thank the Lord for them, and listen to what they

have to say.

Don't just discard it and think there's some old fogies

that don't understand things.

And it's true things change and happen and all those things.

But be youth with vision, and the only way to

have vision is to stop and contemplate, consider, think, look

back fifty years I heard this person did this and that,

and what happened then with his life and his family?

And was it a blessing those choices that were made?

Here in this chapter we see that David he picked

up five stones.

So why did David pick up five stones when Goliath

was the one he was facing that day?

And we believe it only took one stone.

We won't take the time to do that, but you

turn to Second Samuel twenty one, verse twenty two.

We see there were four more.

Giants that David and his men met, And tonight I

just liked to draw from that for you, as youth,

to remember, God has a stone for every giant, and

you are facing many giants today.

There are so many giants. There's a giant of.

Amusement and immorality and rebellion and.

Discouragement.

You know, I thought today of how often, you know,

youth are discouraged. I think of even my own life

and how things were for me as a youth in youth.

This is something that probably some of you on these

pews tonight have experienced, and many youth do.

Sometimes youth will call and they'll share their story and

they'll share it's like this. You know, they're sincere. They've

been praying about something and they.

Felt, you know, the Lord leading in a certain direction,

and it's like, you know, they have this vision and

it's like it seems like the Lord is putting air

in their balloon or in their vision, and they keep

praying about it, asking the Lord for direction and guidance,

and you know, it seems like.

Well another door opened, didn't it.

You know, it's just like more air in the balloon

in their vision of what God's will is for them.

They ask advice and counsel and youth, I mean.

I'm just doing this to impress you with When this

happens in your life, you're going to be able, by

the grace of God to not do what what many

have done.

Didn't Jason say something tonight about people that just have

given it up? I mean she said no or whatever.

It doesn't have to be that, but it is that.

And just once, youth, when that happens in your life,

to just.

Don't let that busted balloon define who you're going to

be the rest of your life. You don't want that

to happen, do you know? You don't want that to

define who you're going to be. You're going to be

discouraged and believe the rest of your life. Because the

balloon blew up in your face and you thought it

was you thought you were following the Lord's will. That happens,

that's a stone, that's a giant of discouragement.

God has a stone for that giant.

Don't let it take you down into the slew of despond.

Youth with vision, there are seven points tonight we'd like

to touch on that are very important for youth with vision.

And where would you start.

Well, one thing has to happen in your life to

have vision is to have a meaningful devotional life, prayer,

Bible reading, walking with the Lord, hearing from the Lord.

That is Number one. Be like Daniel that went and

opened his windows toward Jerusalem, which was like a type

of the church.

Tonight.

It's so important for you to include in your prayers

God's people and praying for them, especially the people you

fellowship with him. We want to get to that a

little later. How important that is in your life. Daniel

opened his windows toward Jerusalem. He got on his knees

three times a day, and he prayed and gave thanks

before his God. He practiced like Psalm one two and

three of meditating in the law of the Lord.

Day and night.

Remember to give God thanks for redeeming your life from

destruction for not rewarding us according to our sins and iniquities.

A vibrant devotional life is so important. Number two, we

could think of like David when Jesse asked him to

go check up on his brothers. He said, you know,

he responded. We have the account of Jacob asking Joseph

to do something in Joseph.

Saying here am I.

Point Number two, youth, cultivate good family relationships.

Are you ever tempted to think that.

I mean the way mom and Daddy do this in

are home, and it's it's sometimes it's chaos, and it's

five children and seven and however many. And you know,

if I ever have a family, I'm going to do

it this way and that way. And it's fine to

think about those things and draw from, but not in

a negative sense.

Night, It's so.

Important for you as youth to cultivate good family relationships.

For you as youth, it would just be wonderful if

you'd go home tonight and before you lay your head

on your pillow, if you just somehow you'd go and

bless your mom and your daddy if they're living, if

they're here or whatever.

And just bless them.

Bless them for loving you, Bless them for feeding you,

nurturing you, feeding.

You as a baby, and helping you grow up to

be who you are here tonight.

Bless them so important. Do you know, do you ever

think that you know, if you ever get married, it's

just gonna all of a sudden be great.

Right now?

Is your feel to exercise making home great in your

future by you making home great now where you are

with your family, Do your siblings love.

You, youth? Do They love to see you come. They

know you're going to.

If you have little brothers and sisters, you're going to

get right down on the floor and play with them

or whatever.

You'll take them with you to town.

Those are things that are so important, at least as

I would view it, for you to have a good

home life in your future. Cultivate good family relationships right now.

Bless your father and your mother, your sisters, your brothers,

those around you. Number three, we could turn to Romans

sixteen one and two, and we see Phoebe.

We see that Phoebe was a succorer of many.

Point number three is contribute life and vibrancy to church life.

And you do. It's a blessing seeing you here. It's

a blessing learning to know you. But endeavor to just.

To contribute to the life of the church and vibrancy

of the church. You have energy, and you have so

much input. And then we draw from the our scripture

setting tonight, we think of David.

You know, he was just this youth, a little stripling.

But he was actually the one that then had a

vision about what could be done. Is it possible that

all your wonderful ministers here would sometime just have something.

Even church life, it's not easy for them, I tell you,

and they bring something to present to the otherhood, and

it is not easy for them to pull things together

and help things be together and present things that the

brotherhood is going to bless and say yes too. Maybe

sometimes one of you, as youth would just have an idea,

maybe this could work.

Is that asking too much of you? Now? At least

give it some thought and pray about it.

And it would just bless your ministers for you to

come to them and just share a thought of just

an idea. Is this something that Mike could work? You know,

it's just like you're in it. You're with it, and

like you would need to be if all the rest

of the adults here would suddenly be gone.

Point number four. Youth look for opportunities to serve.

And I'm sure you do those things here, but you know,

at home, it just blesses me when our youth plan

and activity like going to some of the widows houses,

for example, washing windows and taking care of the shrubbery

and just doing things like that for people serving and ministering.

Romans sixteen four.

We see Priscilla and Aquilla Paul said, they laid down

for my life. They laid down their own necks. That

is wonderful that they did that. That is important. May

you be those kinds of youth here?

Number five.

Yes, it is important for you to be open to

marriage if the Lord leads that way, but be zealous

to live a fulfilling single life as long as God

calls you into a life of singlehood. It is a

bless here tonight to have sixty or seventy eighty year

old brothers and sisters that are faithfully serving the Lord

have never been married. And this is why that is

such a blessing to me to see. And I'd bless

you brotherren and sisters, because you know, if you stop

and you look a little, there have been many many

a one that sat in pews like we are here tonight,

that have reached the age of thirty thirty five and

they were not married, you know, and somehow it didn't

work out, and they have thrown it to the wind.

The teachings, the principles, the biblical applications that they have

lived by for all their life, but they can't handle singlehood.

And we don't want that to happen to you.

And we believe if time goes on, most of you

would be called to marriage.

And that's beautiful and right and good.

But if God calls you to singlehood, what's going to

happen to you? May you continue serving the Lord and

living a fulfilled Christian life like you have examples of

here tonight, and we're blessed by for a biblical example

of that, we think of Deborah. So we could turn

to Genesis twenty four tonight and we'd see the amazing

story of Abraham sending his servant to go find a

wife for Isaac, and he goes to Padanoram and there

he finds Rebecca, and it's an amazing story. Rebecca, you know,

saying I will go with him and go to be

the wife of a man she never saw, but to

go to.

Be Isaac's wife, And you know, that.

Was honorable, That was wonderful, That was a blessing. We

seldom hear anything about Deborah. Deborah was Rebecca's nurse, and

Deborah also went along, and we don't read or find out,

we don't believe that Deborah ever married because she was

Rebecca's nurse, and we have the account of Deborah dying

in Genesis thirty five, and it says she would buried

under the oak tree.

They called that oak tree the.

Oak of weeping, And I believe it was a sad

day when Deborah died, when she was buried under that

oak tree, because of the servant heart she had. And

we just share that as one example. And of course

we as far as we know, Paul was never married,

and he was blessed with the ability to travel and

be a missionary. And we just would want to encourage

you to be that kind of committed people, to live

a fulfilled and fulfilling single.

Life and then be open to God calling you to

marriage if he ever would.

I like this writing Irvin Hersberger put together many years ago.

He said, God sometimes has places in life for the singles,

those living a life of singlehood in life for them

which the marriage could never feel. And that's so true.

Sometimes God has places in life for them to feel

that the marriage could never feel. And then he went

on to say it requires a stronger character to successfully

cope with the many problems of life alone than to

meet those issues with the help and moral support of

a companion. For some of us, God may have provided companions,

not on the basis of our worthiness, but because he

knew that we were not capable of facing life alone.

So maybe some of you are here tonight are just

stronger than the rest of us. As it relates to that,

others may be called to a single life not because

they are unworthy of a companion, but for their outstanding

qualities which enable them to serve the Lord just as

they are.

And God has a purpose for every life.

He knows where and how each one can best serve him.

I'm so thankful, so thankful for so many things. About

Bertha's mother. Bertha's mother was a widow for many many years.

Bertha's father was killed when she was fifteen years old

in a farm tractor accident. Bertha's mother never pushed her

four girls to be married, and just expecting them to

be married. Actually, Bertha was the youngest of the four

and the first to get married.

I always appreciated that about Clara.

She's not living anymore. But this is an article that

was in the Calvary Messenger some time ago. I don't

remember who wrote this. Susan Slighball I think is a name,

drawing from her writings. Marriage must not be the only

life model we hold out to our growing daughters. Marriage

is not the path to wholeness and security, whether.

Married or single.

Our true identity and perfect wholeness can only be found

in our heavenly bridegroom. Blessed is the mother who believes

and lives this first of all, for then she can

impart truth to her daughter.

Early on.

We don't hold out an expectant when you begin dating.

We don't put life on hold until we get married.

Intentional living, approaching life with a mindset of growth, embracing

hard things, working through conflict, and critical thinking is good

and important. And her thought was that it help her

find God as her lover at a young age, talking

especially about daughters. And then it says, the teen years

are not too early to learn how to rest in

God and to find that He alone establishes our worth.

Just a thought, enjoy singlehood as long as God calls

you into that. Point Number six is have a proper

view of time and eternity. Youth, that's so important in

your vision to endeavor to keep a proper view of

time and eternity. I had a first cousin at eight

years old that went too close to a turning pto

shaft and her dress caught in it, and she was

instantly killed. I had a first cousin whose sixteen year

old son was helping feel silo and his coat coveralls

that he was wearing got caught in a beater and

he was killed in just a few moments of time.

And those things happen. Those things happen.

Endeavor to keep a proper view of time and eternity.

Don't let your youth and strength and energy blur the

vision of time and eternity. And then tonight, the seventh

point for you.

As youth is we want to tell you, youth, fly

like a kite. You know, you're full of energy.

And vibrancy, and you're young, and all those things are

so beautiful and meaningful.

Fly like a kite.

We want to draw some lessons from a kite tonight.

So I have here, by the way, this is yours.

I got it after coming here this afternoon. I'll try

to put it back over in your kitchen. But I

just wanted to make a point with this. So we

have I mean, usually kites have some plastic or some

light white material on it, Okay, okay, so we would

have some substance of something here we could, you know,

call a kite tonight, right, youth, so many youth they

want to you know, we want you to fly like

a kite, and they want to do it like this.

Just hime in.

Just just be free and loose and just be turned loose.

And do their own thing. And that's exactly what happens.

I have something else to show you here tonight that

is so different that we want to draw several points from.

Now, this is a real kite and I almost.

Had a hard time today taking it out in the

wind to get it over here. I mean, it wanted

to fly, and we want you as youth, to fly

like a kite.

Now this kite is ready to fly.

And what is the difference, youth, in this kite in

that piece of plastic laying on the floor.

What is it?

So today I was privileged to take some pieces that

came in the box with this piece.

Of plastic, some pieces that are like hard and stiff,

and fasten them onto this piece of plastic. Those that

is one of the reasons why this this kite can fly.

And tonight, youth, i'd like to to make take that

as a symbol a type of application of biblical principles.

Many a youth your age wants to hear nothing about it.

They want to live their life and do what they

want to do.

This kite has some structure and something that provides principle

to this kite. Now we're all so very thankful tonight

that there are some parts of this this.

Kite that are very movable.

This kite isn't made of just everything stiff rides and.

Pieces and joints. No, it wouldn't fly that way. There's

some more pieces of this kite that give it reason

to fly.

Another reason this kite can fly is because of this tail.

Because this kite has a tail.

And if we would be flying this kite tonight, that

the kite would be somewhat in this position.

In that tail back there would be hanging down.

And you know what people that make kites call it,

They say that's the drag, the drag on a kite.

But this kite could not fly without that tail.

If you, you know, just go cut the tail off,

it would not have the stability.

It would be apt to just start.

Flipping in the wind. It needs the tail for stability.

And I would just like to like that tonight to

like church, fellowship and people around you that know the

Lord and provide structure.

For you and true for you. Sometimes you're going to

see that as just a drag on your life. I mean,

why that. Don't go cut it off?

Stop and think a little consider look at others that

have just gone and cut it off, and look at

what happened to them, and how quickly they went to

the ground.

I remember so well. Daddy never knew I was going to.

Use his story in a message like this, but I

often heard him told this story. When he was a boy,

he flew a kite. One day he would fly a kite.

He enjoyed flying kites, and he told me the story

of one day he was flying the kite and it

was way up in the air, and across the road

was his aunt Mary. They lived across the road on

a farm, and they had a silo, and Daddy said,

the kite went way over there, and then the kite

the string got hooked on one of them the RUMs

of the silo, and it busted the string.

Now, youth, you would you know, a lot of youth.

Today would just say, oh wow, I'm finally free. No

one holding the string we want to get to what

the string is a little bit, but no one holding

onto the string. Daddy often told the story, you know

what happened with that kite With no one holding the

string and giving some resistance and direction, the kite immediately

started heading for the ground. And just so it is

in our lives, don't ever want to cut the string

the tail, get rid of the structure that adds meaning

to your life. And it doesn't mean like you're just

gonna have to always your whole life do it just

like great Grandpa did everything. But you stop and consider,

you think, and you have a vision of how important

it is.

If you're going to fly like a kite, you're going

to have to have principle and structure.

You're going to bless the people that have given you

these rods and the things that make life meaningful and

are going to be a blessing for you the rest.

Of your life.

Right yes, And that's why I would hope that tonight

and tomorrow the next day, you just bless the people

that did that in your life.

I mean, why are you here tonight? Why aren't you

in the walmart't parking lot, drinking and smoking pot and

having a party. Why aren't you, I mean, who's youth

are you?

Like? Sall ask of David? I mean many are tonight.

This is Saturday night. It's party time, right. But someone

has done something in your life that has made a

difference in church tonight, and I just would want you

to bless the people whoever that is in your life

that has given you that kind of structure.

And you know what, you know.

If you stop and think a little bit, that's going

to result in a blessing in your life, if you

walk in the ways of the Lord. Something for us

as parents, as ministers here tonight.

It is said it is so important to know where.

To tie the string onto a kite. It's called the

bridle point.

It is said.

It's where the lift, the drag, gravity and the thrust

of wind come together.

And it's so important that it's connected at the right place.

Parents, ministers, This kite will not fly if we connect

up here on the head and we try to jurisdic

and you know, I mean, youth are no longer six

years old, and we can't tie the string up here

on the head and just try to legislate everything they do.

Neither can we just tie the string on the tail

and let them do anything they want to do, and

hope they make it. Only God can help us know

where to tie that string and how to fashion it

where they're You know, all those things come together, the lift,

the drag, the gravity and the thrust of wind. It's

so important and so youth. These are like again the

people God has placed in your life, but the Holy Spirit,

the Word of God. You don't ever want that string

to bush, as you're surely going to be headed down, just.

Like Daddy's kite was that day. If you do.

A simple funnel, maybe you, as youth, have seen someone

use a funnel in a message for youth. I don't

know if you have or not, but to me, I

just want you to think about this funnel and the

message we get from this funnel. You know, Jesus said,

entering at the straight gate, the narrow gate, the narrow way,

and think about it. He said, I have come to

give you life and to give it more abundantly. But

you're gonna have to go in at the narrow gate.

You're gonna have to give up and yield and sacrifice

and say no to sin and yourself and the things

you would want to do and be.

But when you say no to that and you enter

in at the straight gate.

Youth, as you go through life and you see God's

hand leading you, and it'll just be. It'll start doing

like you're going up this funnel, and life becomes more

beautiful and meaningful and broader and wider, and there's people,

and there's fellowship, and there's so many things that are

just so meaningful in life, and in the end you

go to be with the Lord in glory forever. Most

youth are going just the other way. I mean, this

just looks way too restrictive. I mean, why would you

do that. I mean, you're only young once, and many

just want to do what they want to do. They

don't want that string on their life, and so they're

living the big life.

They're living the party. They're doing what they want to do.

But come with me fifty sixty years down the road,

and come with us to the bedside of a man.

Dying that has lived that life.

And in so many cases you it's yes. I mean

it's a reality, not everywhere every time, but people filled

with hatred and anger, and you know, I read some

one time, how many true friends people on the average have,

and it's just unbelievable. It's just hard to comprehend that

most people in this world, on the average have maybe.

One or twue one or two true friends that they

can trust. It's so true.

The people that go the broad Way, they go down

through life, they finally wind up seeing.

I mean, who can they trust?

I mean even marriage partners turn against each other, divorce.

It's horrible, and it's because they're going the wrong way.

And in the end and eternity in the abyss, it's

so terribly sad, and bless the Lord that you are

sitting in these pews tonight, and this is your day

and your opportunity, and you can do it right. You

can make that one shot for real, and your life

will not be perfect, but at least thirty years down

the road, you won't have to look back and say, wow,

I just messed up so badly. I was just partying.

I was just living my own life. I disobeyed mom

and daddy. I went my own rebellious way.

And now that's why I am where I am.

Maybe you feel like this little writing.

Sometimes you're full of energy and vibrancy, and maybe you

fail today.

In a test of something. You know you didn't do

what God wanted you to do.

This writer has said, whenever I start to hang my

head in front of failure's face, my downward fall is

broken by the memory of a race, A children's race,

young boy's, young men.

How I remember well.

Excitement, sure, but also feary. It wasn't hard to tell.

They all lined up, so full of hope. Each thought

to win that race, or tie for first, or if

not that at least take second place. Their parents watch

from off the side, each cheering for their son, and.

Each boy hoped to show his folks that he would

be the one.

One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,

was running in the lead and thought my dad would

be so proud.

But as he sped down the field and.

Crossed a shallow dip, the little boy who thought he'd win,

lost his step and slipped. Trying hard to catch himself,

his arms flew every place, and midst the laughter of

the crowd, he fell flat.

On his face. As he fell, his hopes fell to

He couldn't win it.

Now humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow. But as

he fell, his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,

which to the boy so clearly said get up and.

Win that race. He quickly rose.

No damage done behind a bit, that's all, and ran

with all his mind and might to make up for

his fall.

So anxious to restore himself.

To catch up and to win, his mind went faster

than his legs. He slipped and fell again. He wished

that he had quit before with only one disgrace. I'm

hopeless as a runner. Now I shouldn't try to race.

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his

father's face with a steady look that set again get

up and win the race. So he jumped up to

try again, ten yards behind the last. If I am

to gain those yards, he thought, I've got to run

real fast. Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten,

but trying hard to catch the lead.

He slipped and fell again. Defeat.

He lay there silently, a tear drop from his eye.

There's no sense running anymore. Three strikes come out. Why try?

I've lost, so what's the use? He thought, I'll live

with my disgrace. But then he thought about his dad.

Could soon he'd have to face, get up and echo

sounded low. You haven't lost at all. For all you

have to do to win is rise each time you fall.

Get up, The echo urge him on, get up and

take your place. You were not meant for failure here,

get up and win that race. So up he rose

to run once more, refusing to forefeate, and he resolved

that win or lose. At least he wouldn't so far

behind the others, now the most he'd ever been. Still,

he gave it all he had and ran like he

could win. Three times he'd fallen, stumbling three times he

rose again, too far behind to hope to win, he

still ran to the end. They cheered another boy who

crossed the line in one first place, head high and

proud and happy, no falling, no disgrace. But when the

fallen youngster crossed the line in last place, the crowd

gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race. And

even though he came in last with head bowed, low, unproud,

you would have thought he won the race. To listen

to the crowd and to his dad, he sadly said.

I didn't do so well. To me, you won. His

father said, you rose each time you fell, it's possible

that someone is here tonight.

That the devil has been, you know, putting the cheese

in front of you, and you know, close enough to

smell the cheese. And Jesus said that the devil hath

not come back before to.

Steal, to kill, and to destroy.

And it's possible that someone has gotten close enough to

get trapped, to get caught.

And it's possible that this is how it is for

someone here tonight.

And we just want to tell you that Jesus came

to set the captive free and he is able to

deliver you.

From whatever fall you have had in your life life.

In conclusion of my part, I'd like to share a

poem with you, youth.

And then open it up for anyone that would have

anything to share, if there is anything like that, And

then we'll close our eyes briefly, and if there's anyone here,

we'd like to raise your hand and say you'd like

to have someone to talk with this evening. You just

feel free to do that. We've all been there, we

know what it's like. We want you to be able

to go home tonight free before the Lord, dear youth,

in this our day and for such a time, not

by chance, but by God's design. God has chosen you hear,

a place to live for Him and run the race.

God has not promised a life of ease, nor all

that happens would be as you please. But God has

promised strength for today, and that He will be with

you all the way. Dear youth, we beseech you from

our heart live for God.

Right from the start.

Satan wants you to turn away and say it's too

hard on the narrow way. When Satan comes your soul

to snare, crowd to Jesus your burden to bear, He

will shield you in his loving arms and set you

free from all worldly harms. The seeds you sow while

in your youth, make sure they're pure in love, in truth,

for you will reap in many ways for the seeds

you've sown in your youthful days the instruction of Father.

Please always hear and from Mother's law, never veer a

light to the world. Endeavor to be prepare to meet

God in eternity. We thank God for you are.

Youth who live for Him and walk in truth.

May God bless you is our prayer that we may

all Heaven's glory share God's blessings to you, and we

say from our heart's dear youth, just briefly, would there

be anyone that would have anything on your heart that

you would want to share publicly here tonight. Doesn't have

to be, but it's certainly your privilege if there is.

Would there be anyone? Father, We thank you that you

annoying to David a youth to bring, as it were,

in that situation, redemption to Israel. Lord, we pray in

the same way you would just raise up the youth

that are here tonight to advance your kingdom on earth.

Thank you for the words that were just shared a

few moments ago.

I pray that you would.

Bless this young life and this brother as he goes

from here, and we pray Lord, you would direct his paths,

bless him and pray that his life would be a

blessing to those around him, and that you would bless

his life for yielding himself to you. Thank you for

all the parents here this evening. Would you bless them, Lord,

the parents with youth and with babies and with teenagers. Father,

we pray for wisdom, guidance, and direction as we think

of knowing how to attach the string as it were,

to their lives and to give guidance and structure and direction.

Just want to bless you and thank you again for

your goodness to us. And it is just inks with

thanksgiving and Jesus' name we pray Amen