2023 NEVC Senior Sermon

Good evening NEVC class of 2023. Its an honor and blessing to be here with you tonight in a much different capacity and role than usual.

I am not here as your principal but as a Pastor. Many may know that in addition to being a principal at NEVC I am also the pastor at CCC in Nevada, and this evening I am here in that role.

When the ministerial alliance asked me to speak tonight my 1st thought was no way. This is the busiest week of the year but God laid it on my heart that I should accept so I am here with you tonight to bring to you what God laid on my heart for each of you this evening.

Let’s Pray.

Tonight is for the seniors but for just a moment I want to talk to the parents. Last year my youngest son Logan graduated High School.

I know what you are walking through and will walk through as your child graduates and moves into adulthood.

I thought a lot about what to bring to you this evening.

Graduation.

There is so much to talk about.

Transition

Change

Growth

Moving on

End of an era

All of those things apply and God has spoken in His Word about all of those things.

As I prayed about what to bring to you tonight I felt lead to Proverbs 3:5-7 I will be reading from the KJV

Proverbs 3:5-7

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”

Tonight I want to quickly walk through 4 things that I want you to take away from this scripture tonight as you move through this season of celebration and change in your lives

1. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart

Trust comes from a Hebrew verb that means to confide in anyone, to set one’s hope and confidence upon anyone

There is one and only one way to God and that is through Jesus

John 14:6

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus is the way

Jesus is the truth

Jesus is the life

There is no other way to the Father but Jesus

To trust in the Lord,

to confide in the Lord,

to set your hope and confidence in the Lord,

You must 1st accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior

God always has been

Always is

And always will be

Deuteronomy 31:8

“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

God will never leave you

God will never forsake you

That is what you put your trust in

Doesn’t mean life will be all sunshine and roses

No

Situations

Circumstances

Troubles

Tribulations

All of these things will still be with you, in fact the more you trust in the Lord the more issues you will face

We live in an anti-God society and the more society moves away from God the closer it moves to satan

By the way there are only 2 choices

God

or

Satan

As you trust in the Lord you will face many different heartaches and troubles and tribulations the difference is God is there to walk you through them

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart

2. Lean not unto thine own understanding

On Saturday you will graduate high school.

You will have earned all the credits that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the NEVC Board of Education has set for you to graduate.

You are educated

Some will go on to college this fall and become even more educated

Some will enter the workforce or the military and become more educated in their job or career

Those things are wonderful

You are ready for those things but you can’t lean on those things

Jeremiah 17:9

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

This is why you can’t lean on your own understanding.

The heart is the human seat of emotions

Your thinking

Your feelings

You can’t trust them

Some of the worst advice I have ever given or received is trust your heart

Your heart is deceitful above all things

Desperately wicked

Who can know it!

The only true good in a person is Jesus!

Lean on God

Study and apply God’s Word

Seek Him in all you do

God loves you so very much

He wants to guide you

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

This is probably one of my favorite scriptures

The creator of the universe

God Almighty Himself

Thinks about me

Thinks about you

Not thoughts of evil but of peace and to give you an expected end

Part of your anxiety and worry surrounding graduation is leaving something you know and are comfortable with,

NEVC

and going into the world that you do not know and are not comfortable with

You can lean on God’s understanding and His plans for you

God thinks only good for you, if you trust Him

If you lean on that understanding you will be good to go

3. Acknowledge Him and He will direct you

This is a conditional promise

He will direct you IF you acknowledge Him

God paid a very high price to offer you forgiveness and salvation

Jesus

God sent His one and only Son to die in your place

God demands you acknowledge His love and sacrifice

when you do,

acknowledge Him in all you do by confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you are saved

When and only when you do that does God then direct you

You still have to listen and obey but God is directing you

It is tempting to allow the things of this world to dictate your obedience

Circumstances

Situations

Temptations

Problems

Failures

Success

Health issues

All of those things will always be present but when you acknowledge God

When you listen to God

When you obey God

He directs your every step

4 Depart from evil

This world is evil

Without Jesus we are evil by nature

Human wisdom only leads to death and destruction

John 10:10

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

These are the words of Jesus

The thief is satan

satan is the prince of this world

The world only wants to steal from you

to kill you

to destroy you

Jesus wants to give you an abundant life

not abundant in health and wealth or houses or cars or other earthly things

no Jesus’ life and life abundantly is a life where you trust God

Walk with God and depart from evil and truly live

The only way to do that is

1 accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior

2 Fear the Lord

Fear comes from a Hebrew verb meaning morally to revere or stand in awe

You should fear hell.

It is a real place and without Jesus you will end up there

Here though fear means revere.

Stand in awe

Hold in highest standing

Why

The cross

Love

Forgiveness of sins

Freedom from death and hell

A personal relationship with Jesus

As you leave NEVC there will be many things screaming for your attention

I pray each of you truly lean not on your understanding but trust and seek God

This world is evil and Jesus is the only way

I pray that each and every one of you finds success and happiness in life

I pray you find a career you love

I pray you have a wonderful family

I pray that you are able to do all you want to do in life

I am excited to see where the class of 2023 will go and do

there may be future doctors out there....remember and be nice to your us when you get there

there may be farm owners doing great things to feed all of us

there may be welders who make sure the things we use are safe

electricians

mechanics

teachers

coaches

maybe even a milkman, right Noah

but more than all of that I pray you find and follow Jesus!

I pray that you trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart

I pray that you lean not on your own understanding

I pray that in all ways you acknowledge God and He directs your path

I pray that you are not wise in your own eyes

I pray you fear the Lord

I pray you depart from evil!

Let’s Pray.