What Can Youth Do?

I.         It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the Lord’s work is done entirely by grownups

            A.        Sure, the boys help with the scripture reading and wait on the Lord’s Table.

            B.        But what is there really for a person to do other than wait to grow up?

II.        Jesus - Luke 2:42, 46-49

            A.        The Son of God is our great example

            B.        At the age of 12, Jesus knew the purpose of His life

                        1.         He was here to do His Father’s will.

                        2.         He used his time to begin his task

            C.        Now I’m not suggesting that every 12-year-old should be or can be debating religious scholars and putting them into their place.

                        1.         But there is work that can be done

                        2.         Eccl. 11:9-12:1, 13-14

                        3.         And youth is the best time to begin

III.       Timothy - II Timothy 3:14-15

            A.        Youth is a time for learning

            B.        Timothy became a Gospel preacher because of the solid training in his youth

            C.        Parents responsible to train their children - Eph. 6:4

            D.        As Timothy’s mother and grandmother did for him - II Tim. 1:3-5

            E.        Such has always been God’s desire - Deut. 11:18-19

IV.      Jonathan - I Samuel 14:1,4-14

            A.        Though in his youth, Jonathan showed trust in God and courage.

            B.        Rom.8:31 - With God on our side, there is no fear

            C.        Matt. 19:26 - All things are possible with God, but we must place our confidence in him.

            D.        One need not say, “I am too young.”

V.        David - I Sam. 17:14-26,32-50

            A.        David too had courage from the Lord, but even more do you see his love for God?

            B.        It upset David to see anyone defie God through his people.

            C.        And David had complete trust in God.

VI.      Joseph - Gen. 39:7-10

            A.        Joseph showed a different kind of courage - moral courage

            B.        He was sold as a youth into slavery by his own brothers, yet he did not rail against God as so many people would do. He did not yell, “It’s not fair.” Instead, he made the best of a bad situation.

            C.        Even when faced with a great temptation, where none of his own people would ever know if he sinned or not, Joseph had the courage to tell Satan “NO!”

VII.     Daniel and his friends - Dan. 1:3-17

            A.        Daniel too had courage in his convictions. His country was destroyed. He was taken as a prisoner of war, deep into the heart of this enemy nation, far from his home and his family.

            B.        Would you still believe in God? Would you still trust in His protection?

            C.        Daniel was convicted to stand by God and refused to violate the Law of Moses. He kept himself pure before God.

            D.        For his courage, God reward him with wisdom, knowledge, and skill.

VIII.    All of these examples were of young men

            A.        People can and have accomplish much for God. These serve as examples.

            B.        We may not have an opportunity to slay a blasphemous giant, but we can demonstrate our faith and devotion to God.

                        1.         You don’t have to be old to be valuable to God.

            C.        What can youth do?

                        1.         Keep themselves pure as Daniel and Joseph.

                        2.         Learn obedience as Jesus did. (Heb. 5:8) They can obey and respect their parents and other authorities.

                        3.         They can set a good example for others as Timothy did. (I Tim. 4:12)

                        4.         They can teach others the way of truth as Jesus and Timothy did in their youth.

                        5.         They can care for the elderly and disadvantage. You don’t need to be old to make clothing and other necessities as Dorcas did.

                        6.         You can serve God by giving of yourself in humble obedience.

                        7.         Christian boys can serve at the Lord’s table, lead prayers, lead singing, give a short lesson Wednesday. With practice, there is no reason a young man cannot begin teaching the Gospel and delivering lessons on Sunday.

            D.        What can their elders do?

                        1.         Be an encouragement

                        2.         Give them careful and complete training

                        3.         Set the proper example. I remember one man who was scared to death to lead singing. He would have nothing to do with it. Oh, he loved to sing, but not up where everyone was looking at him. I had a friend in the church who also declined to lead songs. One day, during a singing this man turned to my friend and challenged him: “I’ll lead a song if you will.” My friend though he was safe in accepting. That man got up and lead a song. You could see his knees knocking, but he got through it. My friend wouldn’t back down with such an example. He not only lead, but eventually began to teach. He began to talk about being a preacher one day.

                        4.         Don’t push them back. Challenge them to new heights.