HOW SHALL THE YOUNG SECURE THEIR HEARTS?
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. One of our songs, written by Isaac Watts, begins with the
phrase, "How shall the young secure their hearts?" (No. 435).
B. No doubt, this is from Psalm 119:9, which says:
1. "How can a young man cleanse his way?" (NKJV).
2. "How can a young man keep his way pure?" (NASV).
3. "How can a young person live a pure life?" (NCV).
C. In this lesson we give some exhortation to you young people to
keep your lives and hearts pure.
1. As we give encouragement to our young people, much will
also apply to those who are no longer young.
2. We encourage you to:
I. SEPARATE YOURSELF.
A. From places of sin.
1. Like Nehemiah, refuse to go down to the plain of Ono.
2. Some places are detrimental to your spiritual health.
B. From people of sin. 2 Cor. 6:14
1. Choose your friends wisely. They do have a strong influence
over you. 1 Cor. 15:33
C. From the power of sin.
1. Don't be conformed to this world. Don't join with the
world. Don't love the world. Rom. 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17
D. From the practice of sin.
1. As Paul said to Timothy, "Keep thyself pure." 1 Tim. 5:22
2. Purge yourself from sin. Cleanse yourself. 2 Cor. 7:1
3. Don't tamper or meddle with sin. If you do, you will get
burned. Prov. 6:27
E. From all appearance of evil. 1 Thess. 5:22
1. Be wise enough to identify things that are harmful to your
soul and avoid them.
II. SURRENDER YOURSELF.
A. Surrender your time. Use your time wisely. Eph. 5:15-16
1. It's difficult to comprehend the waste from watching
television. By the age of 20, the average American will have
been exposed to at least 20,000 hours of television.
Calculate for a moment what could be done with even a part
of those hours. 5,000 hours are what a typical college
undergraduate spends working on a bachelor's degree. In
10,000 hours, you could have learned enough to become a
doctor, lawyer, or an engineer. In that time, you could have
learned to speak several languages fluently. You could have
learned to read the Bible in both the original Greek and
Hebrew. You would have had enough time to walk completely
around the world and written two books about it.
2. We will give an account to our Creator as to how we have
used our time. Let us use it wisely.
B. Surrender your speech.
1. Discipline yourself to have pure speech. Learn to have a
spiritual vocabulary. Eph. 4:29
a. Consider the example of Boaz and his workers. Ruth
2:4
b. One's speech shows what's in one's heart.
C. Surrender your thoughts. Prov. 4:23; 23:7
1. You are what you eat - physically, and you are what you
think - spiritually.
2. We must strive to bring every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5
3. We should strive to have the mind of Christ. Phil. 2:5
III. DENY YOURSELF.
A. Note the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23.
1. Decision - "If anyone desires to come after Me." We must
make a choice.
2. Denial - "Let him deny himself." We must be willing to
sacrifice.
3. Dedication - "And take up his cross daily." We must have
continual commitment.
4. Determination - "And follow me." We follow the Lord
wherever He leads. Jesus told those early disciples,
"Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." The next
verse says, "They immediately left their nets and followed
Him." Matt. 4:19-20
B. Deny yourself of pride.
1. Notice this wisdom from Poster Board: "Attention
Teenagers - If you are tired of being hassled by
unreasonable parents, now is the time for action! Leave
home and pay your own way while you still know everything!"
2. It seldom occurs to teenagers that someday they will know
as little as their parents.
3. This was written by an unknown author and is very true to
life.
4 years of Age - My Mommy can do anything.
8 years of Age - My Mom knows a lot, a whole lot.
12 years of Age - My Mother doesn't know quite everything.
14 years of Age - Mother doesn't know anything.
16 years of Age - Mom is hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 years of Age - I know so much more than Mom does.
25 years of Age - It's amazing how Mom has gotten wiser.
35 years of Age - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.
45 years of Age - What would Mom have thought about it?
65 years of Age - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.
C. Deny yourself of interest solely of yourself.
1. Instead of being wrapped up in your own interest, learn to
genuinely submit to your parents, and love your parents.
Eph. 6:1-3; Prov. 23:25
2. Consider this old illustration: "Ancient history records
that a certain city was besieged, and at length was
encouraged to surrender. In the city were two brothers to
whom, in some way, the conquering king was indebted. In
consequence, they received permission to leave the city
before it was destroyed, taking with them as much of their
property as each could carry on his person. Accordingly, the
two young men appeared at the gate of the city, one of them
carrying their father, and the other their mother."
IV. STAND YOURSELF.
A. Make your own stand for the Lord. Eph. 6:10
1. Have purpose of heart like Daniel. Daniel 1:8
a. After about 70 years later, after Daniel purposed to live
for God, he was freed from the den of lions.
b. He made his commitment, and there was no turning
back.
B. Make your stand for the Lord as did the three Hebrews. Dan.
3:24-27
1. There three young men were gladly willing to make a stand
even though they knew full well it would cost them their
lives.
C. Make your own stand for the Lord when various problems arise.
1. Put on the whole armor of God. Eph. 6:13
2. If we don't make our stand for the Lord, and His cause, He
will not stand in our behalf in the great day of judgment.
Mark 8:34-38
V. DEVELOP YOURSELF.
A. Develop your own close spiritual relationship with God.
1. Make God a vital part of your life. Eccl. 12:1; Prov.
3:6-7; Isa. 40:28-31
B. Worship God regularly. Make up your mind that you will, for
the rest of your life, worship with the people of God as
commanded in the Scriptures.
C. Study the word for yourself. Psalm 119:9b
1. "Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth." 1 Sam. 3:9
2. "Buy the truth and sell it not." Prov. 23:23
D. Train yourself.
1. Don't be a weak, sick, lukewarm Christian.
2. Develop yourself into a knowledgeable, capable teacher of
God's will.
3. By doing this, you will make yourself strong, and through
the years to come you will lead others to salvation.
E. Work for the Lord. Be a ready volunteer yourself in the Lord's
service. Put your heart and soul into it and do it. Psalm
110:3
1. Develop yourself so that you can be proud of yourself.
Concl.
A. To the young people we say, "May the Eternal God richly bless
you in every good way, as well as all of us, as we endeavor to
do His will."
1. We pray that you young people will grow and develop so
things will always be well with your souls.
B. And in the ages to come, when these bodies of ours have long
since been decaying into dust, may we stand on mount Zion,
singing the new song of Moses and the Lamb.
1. When asked, "Who are these arrayed in white robes before
the throne?"
2. The answer will come, "These are the redeemed from the
earth who followed the Lamb whithersoever he went."
a. "These are those who have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb."
Chart #1
How Shall The Young Secure Their Hearts?
Separate Yourself
Surrender Yourself
Deny Yourself
Stand Yourself
Develop Yourself
Chart #2
The Words of Jesus in Luke 9:23:
Decision - "If anyone desires to come after Me."
We must make a choice.
Denial - "Let him deny himself."
We must be willing to sacrifice.
Dedication - "And take up his cross daily."
We must have continual commitment.
Determination - "And follow me."
We must follow the Lord wherever He leads.