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Senior Sunday: Live by Example (1 Timothy 4:12)
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Sunday Message recorded 18 May 2025
by Associate Pastor Josh Shell
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
The Faithfulness of Job
00:00:06
Speaker
I do have a message I'd like to share with you guys. And you guys remember on Wednesday, we looked at a specific passage called on Job 23, right? And for those of you guys who not there on Wednesday to celebrate with them, I know you guys are probably thinking like, wow, this is a graduating class of seniors and you're turning to the book of Job for an encouraging message, right?
00:00:25
Speaker
um But the verse that we actually chose was Job 23.10. It says this, but he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
00:00:36
Speaker
Right? And you've got to remember, the the whole context of Job is that he's been put through a trial by fire. Right? He had everything. He was a rich man, had many possessions. Then one day it was all taken away from him.
00:00:48
Speaker
um And it was all according to God's divine plan for his life. Because, not of anything Job did, but because of just his faithfulness to God. God's plan for Job was to prove Satan wrong by it doesn't matter how much I bless people, the people still want to remain faithful to me. And Job was that.
00:01:07
Speaker
He remained faithful. And one of the things I share with them about this particular passage where I jump into the passage to today is that we have a tendency of thinking of Job as as a result of him being put through the test or put through the furnace that he came out on the other side as pure as gold.
00:01:24
Speaker
But what we forget is, is that Job was already faithful in the beginning. That's why he was blessed. He never cursed God. And you actually go back and read Job chapter one, it talks about he even went into the sanctuary to, or not sanctuary, but he went and and sacrificed offerings for his children daily because he knew that they were falling short.
00:01:45
Speaker
He was a righteous man. So Job was already pure of gold as a faithful man of God. He just remained pure because of the fact that he didn't allow the schemes of Satan to taint that purity. Does that make sense?
Challenges for Seniors in Faith
00:02:00
Speaker
And so our challenge to seniors is just that, that they remain faithful to the one true God of the universe who created us in his image, in his likeness, who who breathed the very breath of life into us and gave us purpose and gave us meaning.
00:02:16
Speaker
And so I pray you guys are remain faithful to that God, to our one true God. Right. But this morning, though, as I was thinking about what kind of message I would give to these graduated seniors, I was just like, man, what do I want to say?
00:02:28
Speaker
And it just it just spoke to me very
Youth as Exemplars
00:02:30
Speaker
clearly. but Our youth group verse for our youth group, we're called the 412 student ministry. And Stephen McIntyre just read the verse earlier and referenced it.
00:02:41
Speaker
But it's based off of First Timothy 412. right So when youall think of when you see everything 4.12 around the the church or across the street, you're like, what does 4.12 mean? Now you know. 1 Timothy 4.12.
00:02:53
Speaker
And it says this, Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
00:03:06
Speaker
And so as I was thinking about it guys, I was just thinking, man, like y'all hear this verse all the time. Y'all see the logos. We've even we've hit on it quite a bit. But there's no better reminder for you guys right now in this season, as you're about to transition from being under the the authority of your parents to now you're getting a little bit more freedom going off into school or going off into the workplace.
00:03:29
Speaker
this is there's no better message or a reminder than this right here for you guys. That as you transition, that you remember these words of Paul as he was writing to a young pastor named Timothy.
00:03:41
Speaker
Now I know for you guys, and also for you guys in the congregation, you're probably thinking, well, Paul is writing to a pastor. How does this apply to us? Like pastors are called to be set apart, right? They're they're they're they're higher up in the system. And the reality is like, no, we're not.
00:03:57
Speaker
We're just like you guys. We need the gospel of Jesus daily, just like you guys. If anything, you guys and you guys as a congregation have more responsibility than that we as pastors, because you guys are the hands and feet that when you leave this place, guess who the first people we are going encounter when you walk into the community?
00:04:18
Speaker
You guys. We're called to equip y'all and you to go and to be the hands and feet of Jesus. and that's exactly what Paul was doing here with Peter, with Timothy, is that he was reminding him of these things.
00:04:30
Speaker
He says, hey, you remain faithful to the things in which you've been called to. So in 1 Timothy chapter 4, we actually see this in Isaiah. Not only in 1 Timothy 4.12, but he also continues in verses 13 through 16.
Paul's Advice to Timothy
00:04:43
Speaker
He says, He said,
00:04:44
Speaker
until i come to you devote yourself to the public reading of scripture to exhortation to teaching do not neglect the gift you have which has given you by prophecy when the council of elders lay their hands on you he said practice these things immerse yourself in So you may see your progress.
00:05:04
Speaker
And he goes on with another command. He says, keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in these things. For by doing so, you will save both yourself and your hearers. So again, this is Paul speaking to a young pastor, right? And I actually saw a footnote that this, when we think of Timothy, and when we say, when we see that verse of 1 Timothy 4, 12, let no one despise you for your youth.
00:05:28
Speaker
Scholars believe Timothy was actually in his early thirty s Right? So, my age. Yeah, y'all didn't think that, did you Yeah. Okay? but ah But the reality, though, is that this verse doesn't just stop here with with Timothy.
00:05:42
Speaker
It actually does roll over into you guys. And the reason, and I'm going to spend on that here just a little bit, but I don't want you guys to lose sight of this. Just because you're in high school or that you're about to go into college doesn't mean that you don't have the influence or the authority or the status to make a difference for the gospel.
Influence of Youth in Faith
00:06:02
Speaker
You guys do. And the same things in which Peter, or sorry, which Paul just spoke to Timothy about, about how to devote himself, not neglecting the gift that he has, practicing these things, immersing himself in them, keeping a close eye on himself and persisting in these things, the same challenge and charge he was given to Timothy is the same challenge and charge he's given to all of us today, including you.
00:06:25
Speaker
Y'all are about to step into a new season of life that you're going to experience things that you've never experienced before. You guys have experienced things now that I probably never experienced. But this is just reality. This whole room can speak to the testimony of the things that you're about to encounter for the very first time.
00:06:41
Speaker
And if you are not setting a precedence or you're not remaining diligent and remaining faithful to the one who has given you life, these new changes and new challenges are going to either make you backslide or they're going to completely knock you out.
00:06:58
Speaker
Can anybody else speak to that? That's just the reality of of this life. But with these practical things in which Paul is saying to Timothy, you can be on guard against these things.
00:07:10
Speaker
And he actually, if you go back ahead of ah verse 12 and go to seven through 14, he even encourages Timothy but as he's as he's walking through this season of life, because a little bit more background of what Timothy was experiencing as a young pastor is that there was some false teachers coming in trying to add on top of the teaching of the gospel.
00:07:30
Speaker
They were trying to lead people astray, and Timothy was trying to combat that. But yet he felt weighed down by it So Paul was writing these things. And guys, just for you guys here and then for the seniors who aren't here, y'all are going to be going into a culture that's going to be coming against everything you've been taught.
00:07:47
Speaker
You're going walking into a society or into a culture that's going to be challenging your faith, who's gonna be challenging your morals, who's going challenging your ethics. And if you're not daily being diligent and being persistent in the word of God and being consistent in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit who gives you the wisdom and the knowledge for you to walk confidently, you're gonna see yourself wavering.
00:08:12
Speaker
And so this is our challenge. But listen to these words back back in verse seven through 10 of the same chapter. It says, have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths. Rather, hear this word, train.
00:08:23
Speaker
Train yourselves for godliness. Not for your occupation, not for what the culture's saying, but for what? Godliness. Train yourself for godliness. For a while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for life to come. So now he's using these this imagery of training, right? Of like preparing your body for a competition. Josh, you go to the gym.
00:08:52
Speaker
You're getting big. You're getting swole, right? He's actually challenging me because now I feel like he's getting bigger than me and that ain't gonna happen, okay? But when you if you want to get big, you got to train yourself. You got to go and you got to be diligent. You got to do you gotta
Spiritual Diligence vs. Physical Training
00:09:06
Speaker
be persistent in it, right? And then what happens if you don't go to the gym for a couple of days?
00:09:11
Speaker
Yeah, you backslide, right? That muscle that you were looking at yourself in the mirror, you know, thinking, wow, this is awesome. It kind of disintegrates, right? goes away if you don't stay with it. Well, it's the same thing with your own spiritual journey, your spiritual war.
00:09:25
Speaker
If you're not training yourself for godliness, you're going to find yourself in a position where the things of the world are going to really attack you. See, here's the thing. As believers, this is for all of us, right? As believers, the moment we surrender our life to Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior and submit our ah life to Him, guess what guess what gets put on our back?
00:09:48
Speaker
A target. You see... When Peter was encountering Jesus and Jesus asked this question of like, hey, ah there was all these things, or you know, the rumor of Jesus is going about the ministry he was doing and the miracles. And he says, hey, this is who they say that I am. Who do you say that I am? Talking to his disciples. And Peter says, you are the Christ.
00:10:10
Speaker
You are the Messiah. And Jesus looks back and he says, you're absolutely right. And because of this, I'm going to build my church upon him. Right, talking about his faith, talking about the confidence in who he believes Jesus is.
00:10:23
Speaker
And he says this, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. You see, when we surrender our life to Christ, when y'all surrender your life to Christ and you dedicate your life to Christ, you're gonna put a target on your back because guess what happens when you surrender your life to Christ and you follow him?
00:10:38
Speaker
Satan's schemes are backsliding. He's being defeated. Well, we already know that he's defeated, right? Because we we fight from we fight from victory, not for victory in Christ. But the moment you say, i am Jesus's child and not the world, Satan is going to do everything he can to try to get you to stumble.
00:10:58
Speaker
His main attack, his main priority is for those who are following Jesus, not those who are already content in the world. So again, train yourselves for godliness so that way when these things come, you can stand in a good fight. You can stand firm.
00:11:12
Speaker
This is not just for them. This is for all of us. Right? Some of you guys have been in the room, yeah some of these in the room have been believers longer not been alive. But the reality is that you're still fighting the same fight that these seniors are gonna be fighting daily.
00:11:28
Speaker
and so these words speak to every one of us in this room. And this is not a new concept. This is a concept that has been spoken of even back when Jesus was still doing ministry. When you go back to Matthew chapter 5, you know five and go from chapter 5 to chapter 7, Jesus gives this incredible sermon.
00:11:47
Speaker
Y'all remember what it's called? Sermon on the Mount. this This incredibly beautiful, dense sermon that speaks to us daily, no matter how many times you read it, it's speaking life into us of how we should live our life for the gospel.
00:12:04
Speaker
The whole purpose of this sermon was to not only for his disciples, but for his audience to to hear the words and to try to begin restructuring their mind, restructuring their heart, to understanding what it means for them to die to themselves daily, pick up their cross and to follow Jesus.
00:12:23
Speaker
And one of the things that he says in this that i wanted to speak to that speaks to the same very thing that Timothy or that Paul is saying to Timothy here is out of Matthew chapter five and verses 13 through 16. He says, you are the salt of the earth.
00:12:37
Speaker
But if salt loses its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to what? Be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
00:12:49
Speaker
And he goes on, he doesn't even talk about it. He does this, he stopped there, he goes on, he says, you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
00:13:02
Speaker
In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. So again, when you think about what Paul is or is talking about here in verse 12, it says, let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example,
00:13:19
Speaker
In what?
Being Salt and Light
00:13:21
Speaker
In speech, in your conduct, in your love, in your faith, in your purity. He's about every aspect of your life. This is not a new concept, right? He's going back to what Jesus was preaching in this sermon.
00:13:34
Speaker
And though not only just in the sermon, but in his entire ministry of of how we are no longer ours, but we are ah his, right? And yeah, now the waters are starting to turn a little bit, right? Here we go.
00:13:48
Speaker
Um,
00:13:54
Speaker
But he's saying, if you do not do these things, but yet you call yourself a believer, then what are you doing with your life? You're wasting it. Just as salt, when salt loses its saltiness, it's no longer good for anything. It gets thrown out.
00:14:09
Speaker
Same thing with the light. If you light a lamp and you and you put it under a basket, it's not fulfilling its purpose. It's being wasted. So for you guys, each and every one of you has a purpose.
00:14:24
Speaker
Some of you guys are not going to be called to be behind a pulpit. That's fantastic. Many of you guys are going to be called work behind the scenes. Who knows, right? But at the same time, it doesn't matter where you're at.
00:14:35
Speaker
This concept that Paul also talks about Corinthians where it's all one body, but yet different members. We all do this together. And so we have to be ready to continue to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. So that way we can fulfill exactly what Paul is encouraging Timothy to do. To set the believers an example.
00:14:55
Speaker
in your conduct, in your speech, in your love, in your faith, in your purity. And this also continues on. Another thing that I wanted to share with you guys is out of Matthew 16. Because if you are here sitting in this room today, whether you're a senior, you're out here in the congregation, if you're believer in Jesus...
00:15:12
Speaker
That means that you were confessing that you surrendered your all to him and that you're ready and willing to do exactly what Paul is talking about here as he encourages Timothy, that you're ready and willing to be an example for those around you. And listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 16, 24 through 26. Then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me, what does say? We know this one.
00:15:33
Speaker
Let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. for whatever For whoever would lose or save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
00:15:48
Speaker
Talk about a countercultural verse right there. You see, the world's going to tell you guys every day that you need to go out and move you need to pursue what is best for you. You need to live for yourself. You need to live for money. you need to live for for preserv for possession, for relationships, things that will edify you. But the reality is that when you follow Jesus, it's the exact opposite.
00:16:12
Speaker
You're called to surrender your everything to him, to deny yourself. Y'all know how big of a statement that is?
00:16:21
Speaker
Y'all realize that when we wake up in the morning, the first thing we think about is probably ourselves. Man, I'm hungry. Oh man, I gotta go to the bathroom. You know what Like, But Jesus says, no, for whoever will save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. And he goes and says, for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul?
00:16:44
Speaker
What shall a man or so shall a man give in return for his? right So again, when we look at what timothy or what Paul is saying to Timothy in these verses from 7 through 16 in 1 Timothy 4, this is not Paul's theology. This is not Paul's concept.
00:17:01
Speaker
He is, everything is centered upon the foundation which was set by Jesus. And if Jesus doesn't remain your foundation,
00:17:13
Speaker
then the world is going to come against you greatly. Again, I feel like I'm only staring, I'm only looking at these seniors, but I'm also, this is for all of us.
00:17:24
Speaker
If Jesus is not the center of our life, if he's not the foundation by which we establish our life upon, As believers, we are we are doomed to fail. We are not going to fulfill the purpose and and the calling which has been placed in our life, which to go and make disciples of all nations.
00:17:42
Speaker
I feel like I've said this before too. It's not, hey, go sit in a church pew and listen to the pastor. That's great. and i hope you guys are you know And I hope that this time is enriching for your soul, but at the same time, it doesn't stop here.
00:17:58
Speaker
It only begins here.
00:18:01
Speaker
This is like the time out in the football game where they're passing out Gatorade bombs. Because y'all are about to go back out into the field and you're about to call the next play. For all of us, right?
00:18:15
Speaker
So we must be ready and we must be willing to deny ourselves daily, pick up our crosses and follow after him.
00:18:23
Speaker
And this is the reality that Paul also talks about 2 Corinthians 5, 17-21. When you surrender your life to Christ, again, it's not just that you're denying yourself to him, but rather you're you're you're saying that all that I am is yours.
00:18:37
Speaker
So when you look at, again, let no one despise for you, but set the believers an example, the only way you can truly set the believers an example is by being fully surrendered to the gospel of Jesus daily and allowing him to transform you, which is, we say this verse a lot, but it's extremely powerful.
00:18:54
Speaker
2 Corinthians 5, 17 through 21, it says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
Reconciliation through Christ
00:19:00
Speaker
creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come, this new life.
00:19:05
Speaker
All this is from God, not from man, not from yourself, not from any other person in your life, but from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
00:19:19
Speaker
This ministry of reconciliation. Being restored. Being renewed. Being brought back into fellowship with God. It's not found in anything or anyone else but in Jesus Christ, our Lord. So if you're not centering your life upon Him as the foundation,
00:19:39
Speaker
then you're setting yourself up for failure. And you're not gonna be able to fully experience this ministry of reconciliation, because he goes on, talks about this. That is in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against him, which is a beautiful thing.
00:19:53
Speaker
But it says this, and entrusting to who? Us. Entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.
00:20:06
Speaker
God making his appeal through us. So you're no longer representing yourself when you say, I surrender my all to Christ.
00:20:13
Speaker
You're no longer just representing yourself. You're not representing this church, but the ultimate thing is that you're representing Christ in all things. So again, set up but set the believers an example by surrendering yourself to Christ daily.
00:20:27
Speaker
Are we ready to you do that? That's a pretty big statement, right? But he goes on, God making his appeal through us, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Now, this is a key thing in this verse that I feel like we often overlook, is that in order for us to truly be ambassadors for Christ or to be the message bearers of reconciliation, who do we have to be reconciled to with?
00:20:51
Speaker
God.
00:20:53
Speaker
You see, again, going back to when you wake up every morning, first that comes your mind is like, man, I'm hungry. Our first thought should be, Lord, thank you for this day. Forgive me my sins.
00:21:06
Speaker
Be reconciled to God daily. Because the only way that y'all can be effective examples and effective believers for the gospel is to be reconciled to God first. Right? And thankfully, and praise God for this, that the ministry of Jesus and his reconciliation that he that he proclaimed on the cross that day at Calvary is sufficient enough to cover our sins forevermore. Right?
00:21:29
Speaker
But be rexiled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin. So that way he can become the righteousness of God.
00:21:41
Speaker
And he also goes on later, are actually previously in that same book, he says, But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God.
00:21:55
Speaker
among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one, fragrance from death to death, the other, a fragrance from life to life. So no we're not only just the bastards, but rather we the aroma of Christ.
00:22:08
Speaker
You know, i heard it once say that, ah you know, when you're walking around, you got a scowl on your face. Are you truly, in you and you're a believer in Jesus, are you representing Christ?
00:22:19
Speaker
Maybe you should raise your eyebrows a little bit. It's hard to look mad when your eyebrows are raised. Heard that before too. You gotta remember, we are the aroma of Christ everywhere we go.
00:22:33
Speaker
So how you guys choose to set the example in each of these things that Paul's talking about here in 1 Timothy 4.12, you're displaying, you're putting on display the aroma of Christ.
00:22:50
Speaker
I got two more passages for you or two more verses.
00:22:55
Speaker
And these are very profound verses for you guys. And I hope you guys take these to memory. It's Ephesians 6, 10 through 13. Ephesians 6 is a very famous passage because it talks about the full armor of God.
00:23:07
Speaker
And Paul lays out for the Ephesian church how we are to fight the good fight of faith when it comes to the daily battles and the schemes in which Satan throws
Armor of God
00:23:13
Speaker
at us. And he says this, as finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
00:23:23
Speaker
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil and the heavenly places.
00:23:36
Speaker
Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm. Stand firm.
00:23:49
Speaker
And just remember that when hardship comes against you, when people hurt you, when people try to betray you, deceive you, speak ill against you, whatever, remember, our battle's not against flesh and blood.
00:24:06
Speaker
We're all broken, sinful people who are easily deceived.
00:24:11
Speaker
but our battles against the spiritual realm, against the rulers, against the authorities, against the causing powers over this present darkness, AKA Satan and his demons.
00:24:21
Speaker
He's gonna do anything and everything to get us to turn against one another, especially as believers, because the moment he can get his grasp inside of a church body and cause division and dissension, he is gonna have a heyday because his ultimate goal is to destroy the church.
00:24:41
Speaker
So that's why we as believers, we have to remember what Paul just talking about when it comes to the ministry of reconciliation.
00:24:48
Speaker
And we got to abide by this this calling and this the steps of reconciliation. We can't be afraid of holding each other accountable and of of of holding us to a standard, and which is exactly what Paul is doing with Timothy here. He said, hey man,
00:25:06
Speaker
I know exactly what you're going through, but stand firm. Be an example. don't be Don't be intimidated by all these false teachers or by these people who are coming against you, but rather set them an example despite your youth.
00:25:19
Speaker
Set them an example.
00:25:23
Speaker
And lastly, this is what Peter talks about in 1 Peter 5, verses 6-7, because Paul... He's not the only one who experienced this kind of pushback. He's not the only one who experienced this kind of persecution or or this type of hardship. But Peter also experienced it very greatly. And so did the other disciples. But he says this. This is key for how we face things in our life.
00:25:45
Speaker
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. So that at the proper time, he may exalt you, casting all of your anxieties on him because he cares for you.
00:25:56
Speaker
So the key thing I want you to understand when we look at 1 Timothy 4.12 and what Paul's challenging Timothy here with, at the center of it all is humility.
Humility in Christian Living
00:26:09
Speaker
The moment you guys walk in pride or in arrogance or your own ah gifts and your own abilities is the moment that you will fail.
00:26:22
Speaker
But when you walk in humility and recognition of who Christ Jesus is, and how the fact that no matter what you're going through, he's ready and willing to, at the right time, we lift you up and to cast all of your anxieties off of you, this is a key thing for us as believers.
00:26:39
Speaker
And I pray that you guys all hear that as well. Some of you guys are walking through some of the hardest seasons of your life.
00:26:49
Speaker
But it's in these hard seasons of life that we can set believers an example or set the non-believers an example of how Christ Jesus is sufficient in every way to provide our every need. And as Peter's talking about here, as long as we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God at the proper time, what is he going to do?
00:27:09
Speaker
He's going to exalt you. You guys remember that guy we talked about in the very beginning? His name's Job. and It's exactly what Job did. Job, even in the midst of all of his trial and temptation and and the and the words that were coming against him from his friends, and even in his own doubt and questioning God, God was there because Job humbled himself.
00:27:35
Speaker
He recognized who he was in light of who God is, and in the proper time, God came alongside him and lifted him back up. Y'all remember how the story of Job ended? Everything that was taken away from him was given back to him in overabundance.
00:27:50
Speaker
It's pretty incredible, right?
00:27:53
Speaker
It's pretty hard. You know, it's hard for me to understand how people say, you know, God is such a mean God. You know, he takes things away. He never gives it back. He's like, no, no, no, you're missing the whole point. God asks us and requires us to walk humbly before him.
00:28:07
Speaker
And at the proper time, when we walk humbly before him, he sees our every need. He knows every step that you're gonna take. he's gonna provide for you every step of the way. If you are willing to surrender yourself to him and his will in your life, now your own self or your own pride in your own way.
00:28:29
Speaker
So seniors, that's my charge to you.
00:28:34
Speaker
Be humble. Walk faithfully. Be persistent. Train yourself in godliness. So that way you can truly set the believers an example and your conduct and your speech in your in your love, in your faith, and in your purity.
00:28:55
Speaker
Know that we have you have a church family here praying for you. And going to be praying for you always.
Purpose and Surrender to God
00:29:00
Speaker
know some of you guys are staying closer to home while some of you guys may be going off a little bit. But the Lord has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of you, just like he has a plan and purpose for every one of you in this room.
00:29:12
Speaker
So now I'm going to turn my attention to all of you guys for just a second.
00:29:21
Speaker
Every one of you in this room has ah has a purpose in this life.
00:29:27
Speaker
Sometimes it's hard to surrender to that purpose because we don't understand the full story or the full will in which God is trying to put on display for us. Just like these seniors are about to experience that when they go out and experience this new world that they're going encounter, which then they're like, yeah, i mean, we've already been exposed to a lot, but just rude awakening, you're going to be exposed to a lot more.
00:29:48
Speaker
But as long as we surrender ourselves to the will of God, study His Word, remain faithful to it, allow that to be our foundation and train ourselves for godliness,
00:30:01
Speaker
As the same way Jesus spoke to Peter, said that the gates of hell will not come against you, the same thing is for us. So maybe some of you in this room today, you need ah you've never surrendered your life to the fullness of who Jesus is.
00:30:15
Speaker
You've never experienced that ministry of reconciliation, of what it means to go from your walking and being dead in your sin to being alive and experiencing the fullness of Christ in this life. Maybe that's what you need to do today is surrender your life to him.
00:30:30
Speaker
Or maybe after the example that Kara set for us, some of you guys in this room, you've been a believer for a long time, but yet you've never really took that next step of faith of of being baptized. Now, please hear me say this. Baptism and of itself is not salvation.
00:30:43
Speaker
But what baptism is is a public testimony of an inward change in your heart of when you surrender your life to Christ. And Jesus, you know he also says that for anybody who is ashamed of him,
00:30:58
Speaker
and who rejects him in this life, you will also, Jesus will be ashamed and reject you. So those of us who are in Christ, will we not be ashamed of the ministry of reconciliation or of the gospel that we have received, but rather be firm and stand firm in it and trust in it and allow the will of God to work in our lives so that what we can truly be, whether it's a Job or a Peter or a Paul or a Timothy, to those around us.
00:31:27
Speaker
We all have been given different gifts, different abilities, and different plans and courses of life for a reason. And so it's because it's so that the gospel message can be proclaimed to the ends of the earth.
00:31:42
Speaker
And praise God for that. Praise God that we're all uniquely and wonderfully made. So as we into this time of invitation, going ask Sherry Milliken. Oh, there she is. Cool. Cool.
00:31:54
Speaker
um But as we go into this time invitation, be praying over these things.
Invitation to Christ's Kingdom
00:32:00
Speaker
Seniors, be thinking of the areas in your life that you know that you need to improve on.
00:32:06
Speaker
Whether it's you need to discipline yourself in your conduct or in your speech or in your faith, your purity.
00:32:12
Speaker
if there's anything else that you you know that it's going to be a struggle for you as you leave this next place or enter this next season, surrender it. For those you guys who are in the room, if y'all have never surrendered your life to Christ, please do it.
00:32:25
Speaker
It's not, listen, I know it's intimidating to to walk down the center of the aisle to come talk to a pastor who is is trying to persuade you to surrender your life to Christ. Listen, that's not what we're doing.
00:32:39
Speaker
I'm not trying to persuade you to do anything.
00:32:43
Speaker
I actually heard recently, you know, and it talks about... people coming you know People are talking about how like how can God send people to hell? And like, no, no, no, no. It's the wrong perspective. It's like, why would God force you into his presence when you don't want to be there? Does make sense?
00:33:04
Speaker
So God doesn't send anybody to hell. We choose to go.
00:33:09
Speaker
But God, on the other hand, he is has this open invitation of bringing you into it. And that's all we're trying to do is to invite you in. Because we have the key to the kingdom as believers.
00:33:22
Speaker
And we should be ready and willing to share that key to whoever is ready and willing to walk through the door. Does that make sense? So don't be afraid. We're not trying to persuade you to do anything you don't want to do but rather, we want we just want you to be grafted into the family of God if you've never served in your life.
00:33:39
Speaker
So, but let's go into this time invitation. I'm go to pray over us. And if y'all need to come down talk to me, great. I will be down front. But if you don't mind, be lifting up our seniors during this time.
00:33:51
Speaker
Be praying over them. because they're about to walk into a new season, right? So pray with me. Father God, we come before you, Lord, and we just thank you so much for this morning and just for the time that it is to get to honor these graduating seniors.
00:34:04
Speaker
And Lord, we're just so excited for this next season, a life for them. But Lord, we also know that this next season can bring a lot of trial. It can bring a lot of hardship, a lot of unknowns. And so, Lord, I pray over them right now that you give them a a spirit of confidence and a spirit of assurance and a spirit of wisdom as they walk into this next season.
00:34:27
Speaker
That you will lead them and guide them in everything in your truth and in your way. So that way they can be that way they can truly set an example for the believers and the non-believer alike of Jesus.
00:34:39
Speaker
And Lord, I pray that over this congregation, this stands for all of us as well, that we can truly follow your example in everything that we do in this life. So Lord, be with us, be with the seniors, and be with this time of invitation. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:35:01
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.