The Many Facets of God's Poster Children

Anyway, it's fun. The message I'm going to bring to you today is going to be one that is, in a sense, for our teenagers. But don't drop out on me because before it's all said and done, all of you are going to be involved. And as I'll mention in the message, because while we're talking with young people, let's remember that all of us are the children of God. And so, some of the lessons and some of the points that I'm going to be expressing to them are to all of the children of God today.

And recognizing that many of us in this room are still striving to find ourselves and to give our best to God. And that's the purpose of this message today. Probably the most common question for young people growing up is simply this, Who am I? Who am I? And I recognize that some of us in this room, whether we're 12, 13, 14, 18, or 68 or 78, are still coming to that question.

Who am I? And it's normally quickly followed by the personal anthem of, I want to live. I want to live. This is my time. This is my day. This is the time to sing my song, whatever song that God has given to me. As young people begin to physically and emotionally develop, they so often reach out to images to which they can relate. They seek out and search out people that they can look up to, that they can in some way emulate or match. And oftentimes what teenagers will do, and we've all been there ourselves, and some of us have teens now, and you teens that are here today, will often put up posters on our walls.

I was recently visiting one of our granddaughters, and she had a poster looking right, it's a ceiling poster, just looking down on her. Posters. And those posters are images that are special to us. But those posters are more than just made out of paper with Scotch tape on them to hang to a wall. What they really are are mirrors. Because somewhere we're trying to see ourselves in that poster, and an image is trying to be created of what we might hope to be or could be, etc.

And so we need to look at that, and I'm sure at one time or another when you were a young teenage girl or young teenage guy, depending upon the poster, because they are normally different posters, one might be of somebody like a princess, a Cinderella, the other one might be Conan the Barbarian the Hunk with the abs and the muscles and the biceps, and I'm sure at one time or another a young guy was in a mirror trying to do...now you know what I did when I was 16.

But anyway, a young guy was like this, trying to match the poster, the ladies were trying to do whatever they do, I'm not going to go there. But to recognize that we were trying to match up to what that poster was like. But young people...here's a thought I'd like to share with you. Not all of us are going to look as big, as handsome, as beautiful as the world deems so.

Or brave, or dashing, or charming, or just plain cool. Some people are not just simply born with what we call cool. Either have it or you don't. And some people are not that way. And the question I want to bring to all of us today is, what should the rest of us, and I include myself in that, so what should the rest of us do?

I'd like to go back to this thought of posters and images that are already in our minds, sometimes preset, and then, in a sense, placed on us. As parents, and let's talk as parents, and we have many grandparents here, we have uncles, we have aunts, etc. But let's say as adults, we often have posters in our mind, or images of what we want our young people to be like, and we try to fashion that child.

We have posters in our mind of a David, or a Jonathan, or a young Daniel, or a Ruth, or a Mary. We might think of our favorite grandparent. We love them all, but sometimes there was a favorite grandparent that we would hope that this child would emulate, or an uncle, or an aunt, or maybe even ourselves.

Sometimes what we do is we give children, even from birth, strong, sounding names, and we lay something on them like Arthur, the one that pulled Excalibur out of the stone, or we name them Rock. I tell you where we're going with that one. Or Rip. Or Conan. Or for a woman, we name them Deborah, the one coming over the hill with a sword.

But wonder if they act like a Bill, or a Bradley, or a Sally, or a Jane. And, or, are you ready? Wonder if they act simply like themselves.

What do we do with that? What do we do with that little bundle of humanity that we have been placed into our custodianship?

Join me here for a second. Let's go to Psalm 127 in verse 3 to have a look as God looks at things to remind us all a very fundamental point. In Psalm 127 in verse 3. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, and they are the fruit of the womb. And the fruit of the womb is a reward. And so we notice right here from the very beginning, right out of our scriptures, children are a gift from God.

What we need to do is remember that all of these gifts that come from God, this heritage from the Lord, come individually wrapped. With all sorts of different packaging, with all sorts of different sizes, and shapes, and personalities, and sometimes batteries not included.

And sometimes we forget or choose to ignore that they are simply on loan to us. Loan to us from God. While, yes, we may be flesh and blood, ultimately, all life belongs to God. Thus, at times in our ongoing, on-the-job parenting and learning how to be a parent, we can very naturally strive to make our young people to be what we think they ought to be, rather than what is best, ultimately, for them to be in God's services. And we can wittingly or unwittingly, slowly, snip away. And here's what I'd like to share with you, at their personality, at their imagination, and ultimately to their heart. It's a very delicate balance in giving the next generation below us roots and wings. Roots to found themselves and establish themselves with values, and wings that ultimately they will fly away from your nest and be able to be on their own.

And to find space to themselves and to be themselves. It's a delicate balance. Our church, over the many, many years, has had a traditional poster child. Perhaps not the one that's up on your child's wall, some teenage star or some singer or this or that, but we've also had a traditional poster child for many years. The poster is found in Isaiah 11, verse 6. It's about a child. And the child does not have a name, but the child is there, and amazingly, is down, is there in the midst of a wolf and a lamb and a lion as the story flows. And we don't know that child's name, but we do understand that it's the child that's exposed to God's ways. And the only demands that are on that child, and here's some demands that I think are placed on that child by Scripture, is simply this. That they live up to their best. That they cooperate with their neighbors, even if they're critters, like a lion or a wolf. And that they have an inner peace with whatever comes their way. That's what we owe our children, and that's where we need to guide them. What I want to share with you today in this message is to look at some other poster children of the Scripture to give us some examples. The title of my message is, The Many Facets of God's Poster Children. Let's understand who they are, how God used them, and loved them, so they can grant some added perspective to us as parents and as to young people in the Church. And like I said, I hope everybody will be listening here today because all of us are simply recycled teenagers. We're children of God. And some of us out there are still asking the big question, Who am I? What am I to be in God's hands? With all the messaging and all the images and all the conditioning that comes to us from the outside these days, kind of unwittingly or wittingly, snipping away, cutting away at the poster that God established from the very beginning. I've often told people sometimes in counseling—it's a line, I don't know if it's original—but I've said that sometimes we spend the last 60 years of our life getting over the first 20. And because of our child rearing, or because people are snipping away at our poster, or trying to make us something that we never really intended to be. Some of us are still finding ourselves. So I hope that you'll join me as we look at some of these examples. The first example I'd like to turn to is over in the book of Samuel. Join me if you would in 1 Samuel.

In 1 Samuel 2.

And it's the story of Samuel, you might say, the boy Samuel. Very interesting here. 1 Samuel 2. And we're going to pick up the story in verse 22. What I want to share here is why does God supply this poster of Samuel to us? I like to put it right out here in front, and then we're going to build upon this point. Samuel's poster in the Bible, this poster child of God, reminds us that size and age have no bearing on the size of the job that God has in store for us. Size and age have no bearing on how God might choose to use you or to use me. So often we're looking for somebody taller, wider, older, smarter. It has no bearing when God chooses to use somebody. Let's notice the story here in 1 Samuel 2, verse 22.

Actually, what happens in verse 22, it's the story of Eli's sons. Eli was very old, and he had heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all of these people.

So here were the important guys, the children of Eli, and they were not doing right. That then ushers us into the story of Samuel, 1 Samuel 3, verse 1. Now, notice what it says, and it does tell us, in a sense, how old Samuel was. They're calling him a boy. So he was a boy. He was a young lad.

He was not even probably necessarily an older teenager. He was a young lad. Now, the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was rare in those days, and there was no widespread revelation. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see. And before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, Here I am. And so he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. And he said, I didn't call you. Lie down again. And he went and he lay down.

Therefore the Lord called yet again, Samuel. So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. And he answered, I did not call my son. Lie down again. Now Samuel did not know yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And so he arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am.

You can imagine what Eli was thinking at this point. How often do you like to be woken up in the middle of the night by one of your children? Here I am, for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. And therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go lie down, and it shall be, if he calls you, that you must speak. Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. So Samuel went and laid down in the place.

And now the Lord came and stood and called, as at other times. Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel answered, Speak for your servant hears. And then the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do something in Israel, at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. Now this is very interesting. God came to Samuel four different times before he got it. And the point I want to make out of this, and it's a very simple story with a very big point.

God doesn't allow age or size to be a hindrance, but rather a tool for his purposes. God doesn't look at physical stature, but he looks at the size of our hearts, whether we're 62 or whether we are 12, to be available to him. He doesn't measure our height. He doesn't measure how big we are. If we're a guy, you know, how big our biceps are, or how big our chest is, or look at me in the mirror.

He doesn't think that way, not at all. He measures our openness, our availability to his call, and his willingness. Here I am. This is a beautiful thing. What I want to share with some of our young people here today, as well as our older people, is this. It's to pound away at this thought that God is not calling grandchildren. He's calling children. He will call each and every one of us in his way and in his time individually. Sometimes he does work through families, but sometimes he works directly with young people. Sometimes he skips a generation and calls grandchildren, but nonetheless they become his children.

And he has that direct communication with them. And that is perhaps what's happening to some of us today. Now, Samuel eventually grew up, became a judge, but he was already big stuff in God's eyes. And one of his favorite posters. When you think of Samuel, how often can we be refreshed sometimes when things come up in church and where there's a need? And a young person comes up and says, Here I am. Now, some of you young people that are here today, kudos to you and congratulations. Some of you stepped out. This is your first event away from home.

This is your first event, even in a congregation that maybe you've never attended before. And you might even be one of the youngest that is in the teens, and yet you stepped up. And you said, I want to be a part of this. This is where God's name is. This is where God's people are. And there's an activity. Now, not just for activity's sake, but because of the way of life that that activity represents.

And you stepped up. And that's big stuff. Let's go to another example. God gives us another poster, and it's found over here in Acts 12. Join me if you would for a moment. In Acts 12. And it's the story of Peter, who has been sprung from prison. But it's a fascinating story, and maybe something that you've never seen before, how God uses a young person to serve His purpose. And not only that, but this young person, because of what they did, their name is mentioned.

Now, God gives us the poster of this individual, and her name is Rhoda. And I'm not talking about, I think there was a series on television years ago called Rhoda. And that reminds us of something very important. And that is about a child's curiosity. And a child's persistence can open new doors for all of us.

Sometimes we see new things and new horizons through the eyes of a child. And this is certainly the sense here of what happens with Rhoda. If curiosity killed the cat, well, this is quite a story, because what we have is in 12 verse 11, let me pick up the thought here. What happens is Peter had come to himself. He'd understood that God had released him from prison.

And now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. Verse 12, so when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary.

So Peter had to move through the alleys and the streets of Jerusalem, I'm sure, looking over his shoulder, because people know that he had escaped or was gone missing. So when he considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And, you know, when back in that day and age, I'm sure when they were praying, they were making a holler.

Out of the Jewish community, they'd have their hands raised up high. They would be quoting the Psalms, Oh you, oh God, that delivered us from the kings of old. We ask, and you know, you can just imagine you have that Middle Eastern and they know they're making a noise and they're praying to God. And what happened is, notice then what happened.

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. And when she recognized Peter's voice because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, you are beside yourself. They might have said something else, too. You are beside yourself. Oh, be quiet, go away. Don't you understand? We're praying for the release of God's apostle.

Go away. Now, here's Peter. He's at the door. You can imagine this. You look up here, you know, Peter's made it through the streets, and you know, he's looking over his shoulder, and going around, and finally, you know, he's at home base.

They're going to let me in because they've got to know they're coming after me. Oh, I did it again. I knew I did it. Shoo! Just imagine how Peter felt. So anyway, to recognize that they're pounding away, and they're in there praying, and they're praying for an answer, and the answer is at the door. How often at times, brethren, have we prayed for answers, and they are literally at the door, and at times to recognize that they can even come from the mouth of a child to let us know that God has answered.

I know many, many years ago that Susan was having a situation, and our second daughter came to her. And finally, and examples are important, if I get the story right, watching my wife's eyes, but anyway, at the bottom, at the end of the story, our daughter Julie said, well, what do you usually do?

Pray. And it was just out of the mouth of a babe, out of a mouth of a child, having observed. And that was a very, very, very big answer. So we look at these things, and here's where let's go back to the story, where it says, Peter was knocking, but motioned them with his hand to keep silent. He finally got in, and he told them how God had freedom and out of prison, and go and tell these things to James and to the brethren, and he departed and went to another place.

But it started with a young lady, with a curiosity, and that that lady went and told a very, very big story. The bottom line I want to share with all of this is, children can bring us great joy, great joy, and at times, understanding, if we will only listen to them and to respond to them, and to recognize that we yet have a rota in our life, to show us sometimes what God is truly doing when we in our at-bolt world might think this is the way that a child can bring it down to a very simple answer.

Oh, by the way, he is at the door. Another point I want to share with you is another poster that comes out of the Bible. A poster that we can kind of look at and understand is the poster of John Mark. John Mark, I've already talked about him here in this, speaks of Mary, who is the mother of Mark. This gentleman we often know as Mark. Why does God put Mark in the Bible?

God puts Mark in the Bible to encourage all of us to be patient with our young ones, to be patient with our young ones, for they too, like you, will and do grow up. I find a part of the problems that I have in life, and there's a blessing and there's a downside to it, is that I tend to look at life where I am today at age 62. I look at life not only through middle age, I can't just say middle age eyes anymore, but senior eyes. I have senior eyes. I look at things through my 62-year-old mind and heart and all of the experience that I have been through.

I don't recognize that a younger generation or the generation that has yet to grow up and to allow that patience to have its perfect work, to be patient. Our young people are in a hurry to grow up, but sometimes when they put their hands on the wheel, they panic. We get embarrassed, we look at them with those eyes of ours, and sometimes they are more chagrined than we are when things happen. And we don't recognize that because maybe it's been an embarrassment to us. Let's talk about this for a moment in the life of John Mark. The reason I bring up John Mark is fascinating.

John Mark is what we might call the quintessential ultimate church kid. He was the son of Mary. That's where the church met in her home. His uncle was a minister, Uncle Barnabas. And he actually had earlier exposure, most likely, to Jesus Christ Himself in person. So you might say he was in the thick of the church. And yet there are things that happened here. Join me if you would in Mark 14, verse 51. Interesting. Mark 14, verse 51. Interesting story here. Mark 14, verse 51. And this is on the night of Jesus' betrayal.

Maybe you've never seen this story before, but it's a good story to see. And Jesus was now being betrayed, and He was being taken off. It was upsetting. Upsetting and frantic. Now notice verse 51. Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around His naked body. And the young man laid hold of Him, and He left the linen cloth and fled from them naked. Now there's a picture. You may not want that poster in the literality on your wall. But anyway, I want it in your mind for a moment. Tradition tells us that this was none other than John Mark. No, the one that later on wrote the book of Mark.

Can you imagine on that night, and you know, I know we have many, many stories in our mind about that night. We see the temple guard coming. We see Judas coming. We think of Judas kissing Jesus on the cheek. We think of Peter grabbing the sword. But this is one for the ages, where here's the kid running out of the garden of Eden stark naked. It's not a good entry into Scripture, is it? He was afraid, He was scared, and He was naked as a jaybird. So how do you go out from there? Well, thank you. Let's find out here in a second. Because other things have happened. Join me in Acts 13.13. In Acts 13.13.

Here we go. Acts 13.13. Notice what it says here. Now, when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, this is the St. John Mark departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. For some reason, for one reason or another, John Mark leaves Paul's party. We don't know if he was homesick. We don't know if there was a lack of communication. We don't even know if perhaps he was, in one way or another, taking sides between Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas being his uncle. But this begins another part of the story over in Acts 15. We'll follow this sort of scripture to Acts 15, verse 36. Acts 15, verse 36. And notice what it says here.

Now, Barnabas was determined to take with him John called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them into the work. And then contention became so sharp, they argued over this young man, that they parted from one another. You know, the one-two team, the Lou Gehrig, the Babe Ruth of that time, back to back, Barnabas and Paul, two apostles of God, and they couldn't agree over the actions of this young man. Paul just simply did not want to take him. Now, there's some positives that come out of their story, too, by them going two separate ways. And that's another story and another time. But what I want to share with you, Paul had sharp feelings about this young man. There was something that was there. But also to recognize, I want to take you to 2 Timothy 4. We're going through some Scripture to make a point. 2 Timothy 4, and let's pick up. This is Paul's last epistle. And notice what it said. Only 2 Timothy 4, verse 7. Only Luke is with me. Now, notice who he's asking for. Notice who he's asking for. Get Mark. You can almost hear it come out of the letter. Get Mark. I need Mark. And bring him with you. For he's useful to me for ministry.

Parents and grandparents, we sometimes need to recognize we're at a certain age. And also, yes, to set an example, to point people to God, but to recognize, too, kids are going to grow up. They're going to grow up. I know sometimes I'll go to get something for Susan at market, and there's a young mother there, and there's a kid, you know, a couple years old or whatever. And you can tell the mother's not real happy. You can also tell that it's been a very, very long day for the mother. And I just simply say this. I want you to know something. One day, that little one is going to be your best friend. They're going to be your best friend. They're going to grow up. And they're going to love you. I think of our three daughters, Laura and Julie and Amy, and other than my wife. They're dear to us. They're our best friends. They're family, and they love us. And they're just great kids, great All-American girls, basically because they took after their mother. But anyway, we were just talking about that this morning. And sometimes we need to have the patience that God has with us as adults. We need to have that same patience for our children and for our grandchildren. And for we as a church family, don't we have wonderful children in our church and wonderful young adults? Wow! And they're growing and they're developing. Like today, we just had the... didn't we have a good Bible study, young people? I mean, they did... the Outtalk me is a job, and they did pretty good. And they were right into it, and they had answers and sharing how God has worked in their life already. And was sharing that with other... is that not neat? That's what church is all about. We are so proud of our young people and proud of you young adults. And to recognize that we need to have that same patience and allow patience to have its perfect work. I'm going to skip about five examples, because I want to go right to the point that I want to share with you here at the end. I'd like you to allow me to read something to you for a moment, because I think I've made my point. Children are neat. We need to direct them towards God's purposes. Do we mold them? Do we mold them in Godly values? Absolutely. Do we hope the best for them? I'm not talking about being a laissez-faire, hands-off, individual or parent. Absolutely not. But we need to be very careful that we understand their personality, we understand their gifts, we understand where they are, and they may not even be you or me.

They're God's child. But here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to just read this verse to you, because I think sometimes we just need to, in a sense, to use a phrase, have this hammered home to us. I'm going to read out of Psalms 139, verse 13. And if you'll allow me, please, I'd like to read it out of the Living Translation. And maybe you might just want to listen, unless you can follow along in that translation.

This is David speaking. You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable. I can't even count them. They outnumber the grains of sand. And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me.

Each and every one of us is a child of God.

Each and every one of us has a purpose and a plan. And God wants us to rejoice in how He's made us, who we are and what we are. That's so very important. And we need to give that encouragement. I think so much more to young people today because there's so much coming at them in this world that has stepped up.

I'd like to share a story with you for a moment. It's an interesting story. I thought about this.

I thought about this especially because right now, when she does come out, I'm teaching some of the kids here in O'Macon, I'm teaching Macon how to drive. There's a lot of abandoned roads in Riverside. If you haven't noticed, Bill lives in the same neighborhood. When Macon comes out, she wants to drive. So we go out there with the cattle and we drive.

But even on a lone road with the cattle, it can be a little exciting when you turn over your car to them and they think they know how to drive. And Grandpa does as best as he can to stay calm and cool and collected. I usually do well about 15 minutes out of 20. I come a little unglued every five minutes. But just to share this story, because we're all going through it, allow me to share this story with you. And it kind of goes like this. There's a cute little story here of one child's answer. The teacher asked her class what each wanted to become when they grew up.

What do you want to be when you grow up? And one child yelled out, President! Another one yelled out, Fireman! Another one, who's polite, raised her hands, a teacher. And one by one, they answered until it came to Bill's turn.

And the teacher asked Bill, what do you want to be when you grow up? And Bill just said, possible. The teacher said, possible. What's that mean? Yes, Billy said. Because Mom is always saying, I'm impossible. When I grow up, I just want to be possible. I know this is probably hitting home to some of us as parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles that sometimes get a little frustrated with youth.

And or sometimes we are so busy in this world of whirl and twirl that we're not giving our young people the attention that God expects us to give because they're so precious. Kind of reminds me of the story of some of you might have seen the movie that was out a couple of years ago.

It was called Help. It was a story of African American maids down south in the early 60s in Jackson. And maybe some of you saw that. And this one African American maid was working for a white couple that were younger, middle age, and their life was moving, coming and going. They just were overlooking the child. The child was kind of invisible. And the maid would get down at the child's level and look at the child in the face and begin to create a poster in that child's mind. And the way it went, if I remember right, it goes, you is kind, you is smart, and you is important.

What a wonderful message. You is kind, you is smart, and you is important. Have we shared that message with our young people recently? And not only that, but again, to all the children of God here today and all the recycled teenagers. When we read the scriptures that are before us, and as God is wanting us to be our best for Him, not somebody else's best, not somebody else's idea of what we ought to be, but what He created in us from the womb.

To be comfortable in the skin and the life that God has given us. You know, I just went through the story with the young people here. We were talking about Saul and David and Goliath, and when Saul offered his armor to David, thinking he was doing him a favor. You know, the story. Now David could have said nothing, put it on and gone his way, and not been able to move a step because it was too heavy.

And David said, no, this isn't for me. This isn't me. This isn't going to fit. This isn't what I'm about. See, Saul was trying to force his image, even thinking he was doing a favor on this young man that knew what he was about, who he was, and who his God was. It's a wonderful story and a wonderful thought to think about. Why is this so important when we think of who we are? I'd like to share a story with you here for a moment. Got it here somewhere. It's a short one. It's from Today is Mine by Leroy Brownlow.

It's his entry of September 19th, and I would hope that this is what we are as the children of God, no matter what our age is. Because to recognize that within God's church, within the body of Christ, that sometimes we at times mistake conformity for unity.

Conformity is not unity. Two separate things. God has called each and every one of us to sparkle, to be ourselves, to rejoice in how He created us with our personality, with our gifts, with our abilities, where we're coming from, adding to that rich, colorful mosaic of the church. Hear me out on this one. No imitator. Brownlow's entry is September 19th. You are worth more being you than trying to be somebody else. It saves you from having to act. No theatrical performances. Neither do you have to suffer the mockery life heaps on the pretender. Furthermore, your singleness of personality, not multiple selves, brings an internal peace, never known by the imitator. Being you is more impressive. No make-believer is believed very long. It gives more energy. Acting is hard work. It affords habitual and spontaneous reactions because there is no delay in trying to read another's lines. You can be independent, for trying to be another is like being the tail on another dog. He wags you. What I'd like to share with you at the end here is simply by turning over to Proverbs 16. I hope I've given you something to think about being a young person and recognizing that God has made you at this time and in this way and in this day for a very, very special purpose. You be you and be in the stature of Jesus Christ. Yes, that is the ultimate poster that God sets before us. That 12-year-old boy who was speaking to the religious authorities and when his parents came and looked for him, what did he say?

I must be about my father's business. What's very interesting when you think about that there's a big story in that Jesus was 12 years old. And in Jewish culture, even today in the Jewish community, that's why there's a bar mitzvah at age 12.

The Jewish community looks at 12 as the first stage of adulthood, of maturity, of responsibility. It does not look at it as the last chapter of childhood. It does not look at a stepping stone of going into the twilight zone of American teenage. And you try to come out on the other end. I did that one. That's why I can say that.

Teenage is not a time out from humanity to simply do your own thing. It is all the more the time for responsibility and being godly and looking at that ultimate poster of Jesus. In Proverbs 16, verse 3, let's conclude here by a very simple statement, directed to all of us that have the responsibility of molding our young ones.

Notice what it says. The reason why I mention this is, you know, as children, we grow up, we become parents. And most of us, even as young parents, we have children at age 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and older. And basically, we're still trying to find ourselves at that age. We're just simply still in the mold of growing up ourselves, and then we have other new young lives that have been given to us. And so I want to direct your attention to this because we just simply can't do it alone. Notice what it says in Proverbs 16, 3, Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established.

There is no more incredible work that is given to us than the fruit of God that comes from the womb. And we will not always have the wisdom, we will not always have the knowledge, we will not always have the patience, we will not even have the capacity, perhaps, day by day. But commit your works, commit your child, commit your actions towards your young person, and give it to the eternal, and he will give you those things to guide that young person. There's a promise there. If we commit, it says, and your thoughts will be established, there is a direct cause and effect. Young people, those that are visiting with us today, it's interesting, there's about 12 of them. That's very biblical. When you think of the number 12, we'll call them the 12 disciples and disciples because there's some guys there. It says, commit your works to the eternal. And it says, and he will establish your thoughts. You take that promise with you home today. Let's see it work out on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. It's been a pleasure talking with you today. We're going to look forward to seeing you after this. The young people have a wonderful evening planned out for them. To our young adults and to Victor Howe, our forever young adult, who's working with us too. He had all the young people over last night for the barbecue. Young people have a question. How are the hot dogs and the hamburgers? Thumbs up or thumbs down at Victor's? Okay. Side? Ooh. We might have to have this again, Victor. There's one that just went sideways. So this may become an annual. Well, listen, Mr. Miller, let's please come up and conclude with a song and prayer. And we'll look forward to seeing you outside.