The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ
Notes
Transcript
Handout
THE TEENAGE CHRIST INCREASED IN MATURITY
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
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The second characteristic of the teenage years of Christ was an increase in “stature.” According to Strong’s Concordance, the word stature means “maturity.” During His teenage years, Jesus matured. Physically, mentally and socially He “grew up.”
a well-known psychiatrist on the radio give advice to a twenty-three-year-old call-in listener. This young man, involved in an illicit affair with a twenty-year-old woman, was bemoaning the fact that she had recently broken off the affair and was now involved with another.
The radio psychiatrist made a statement that amazed me: “You made a mistake in getting involved with this woman. At age twenty-three, you’re going to make mistakes. The twenties are years when you grow up.”
“No! Not only is it not true, but it could be the most dangerous philosophy being taught today!”
The world says, “You can grow up in your twenties.” The world says, “The teenage years are for fun, frolicking and foolishness. You can become responsible later.”
The world says, “You can grow up in your twenties.” The world says, “The teenage years are for fun, frolicking and foolishness. You can become responsible later.”
Why is this philosophy of the world so dangerous?
Your character is developed during your teenage years.
You cannot just flip a switch at age twenty and say, “Now I am going to start being mature. Now I am going to start to be Christlike.”
Habits developed during your teens will have now become part of your character; it will, by then, be who you are. Change becomes increasingly difficult by this time in life.
Christ’s example teaches us that the teenage years are for preparation. Maturity should become a primary goal of your life, beginning at the age of twelve.
We have created a new group called teenagers. In Bible times, a child’s twelfth birthday was a milestone, a beginning, the doorway to adulthood. At this age, he picked up the mantle of maturity.
In Bible times, a child’s twelfth birthday was a milestone, a beginning, the doorway to adulthood. At this age, he picked up the mantle of maturity.
Most of life’s major decisions are made from eighteen to twenty-four years of age.
During these years, most people choose their career, a college, their companions, their mate. To wait until you are in your twenties to begin to mature will mean you will be ill prepared to make these major decisions.
Wrong decisions in these major areas will result in spending much of your life trying to fix these “wrongs” and dealing with the consequences of these poor decisions.
you will face every sin you picked up or did not over come in your teens you will face it in twenties and it will break you in your thirties.
Lust laziness entertainment wasting time
fear bad friends , bad relationships gluttony
The young person who understands that he is to begin to develop in maturity at age twelve will be prepared to make wise, godly decisions as a young adult.
Maturity—Putting Away the Three “Childish Things”
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
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Maturity affects speech, understanding and thinking.
Hey, teenager, it’s time to grow up!
Christ did not spend His teenage years being immature and childish. You don’t have to either.
Developing Excellent Speech
Rare is the teenager who has taken the time to discover and follow Bible principles for proper speaking. What we say says volumes about who we really are.
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
We are reminded in
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
Other Christians are influenced by what we say.
The unsaved are listening.
God hears all.
Words are powerful! They can be used to bring joy and encouragement to those around us.
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”
“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”—
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
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“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”—
The words of a talebearer are as wounds,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
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How important that we enlist the Lord’s help in taming this dangerous member!
How important that we pass personal laws concerning when and how we use our tongues! These laws should be based on clear Bible principles.
Notice the wisdom of the virtuous woman described in
She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
And in her tongue is the law of kindness.
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She decided to open her mouth only in wisdom.
She passed laws concerning the use of her tongue, laws that she would live by.
Every law has a corresponding penalty that is applied when that law is broken or ignored. These penalties she would enforce upon herself because of her character, virtue and self-discipline. What a Christian!
How about it, teenager? How important is it to you to become like Jesus? Christlikeness—is it your ultimate goal? With the help of the Lord, you can develop biblical speech, or “excellent speech.”
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things;
And the opening of my lips shall be right things.
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Excellent speech becometh not a fool:
Much less do lying lips a prince.
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Consider the following laws.
Study for yourself their biblical accuracy. When you are convinced of them, pass these laws and live by them. When they are broken, punish yourself. Make the punishment severe enough so you will not want to break them. This is self-discipline. This is maturity.
The Ten Laws of Excellent Speech
1. Speak Sparingly
He that hath knowledge spareth his words:
And a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
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In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:
But he that refraineth his lips is wise.
My Grandpa Ogle used to tell me, “Son, you can’t learn nothing with your mouth open!” His grammar may have been lacking, but his instruction was right! The wise teenager spends more time listening than talking.
The more you talk, the more likely you will be to sin.
, the word “wanteth” means “lacketh.” In a multitude of words there lacketh not sin. Idle talk always leads to sin. Always!
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:
But he that refraineth his lips is wise.
the word “wanteth” means “lacketh.” In a multitude of words there lacketh not sin. Idle talk always leads to sin. Always!
In , the word “wanteth” means “lacketh.” In a multitude of words there lacketh not sin. Idle talk always leads to sin. Always!
“Dad, can I call So-and-so?”
“Why? What do you need to ask her?”
“Nothing. I just want to talk.”
No. Idle, unplanned conversation leads to sin. The longer the conversation, the greater is the sin.
I have had teenagers tell me that they spend hours each evening on the phone with friends. These are, without exception, also the same teenagers who struggle with having a good attitude. A very wise man once told me, “Weak minds talk about people; average minds talk about things; great minds talk about ideas.” Unplanned conversations always deteriorate into gossip. Always!
If you want to develop excellent speech, eliminate any situation where you are prone just to sit and talk.
I am shocked at how many teenagers are allowed to have telephones in their rooms. A wise teenager will unplug that phone, take it to his parents and say, “Being like Jesus and developing excellent speech are more important to me than having this in my room. Please do not allow me to change my mind on this decision.”
2. Speak only after Thinking
“Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.”—.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”—.
Take time to think before you speak. When you finish reading all ten of these laws, I suggest you stop and memorize them. It would be wise to run them through your mind before you speak.
Most people are afraid of silence. When someone asks a question, they feel obligated to answer quickly. Be careful. The Bible instructs us to be slow to speak. Ask yourself this question, Is this something that I should be talking about? If not, don’t answer!
Not every question asked should be answered. Jesus often simply ignored “loaded” questions. Often He would answer a question with a question. Not everyone who asks a question does so because he really wants your knowledge. Be slow to speak.
“I don’t know” is a very good answer and probably should be used more than it is. Have you ever been asked a question, given an answer, then later thought of a much better answer? I have. It is often wise to ask the person to allow you time to think about your answer before you give it, especially when asked advice on something important to him.
3. Speak Honestly
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour.”—.
“He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.”—.
An important “law of your lips” is the truth law. Never allow yourself to speak a lie. Proverbs, chapter 6, contains a list of seven things that God hates, things that are an abomination unto Him. Two of these involve the sin of lying. I am shocked at how many Christian teenagers I have met have already become habitual liars. Speak only the truth.
Speaking honestly involves what you do and don’t say. If you were sworn in to testify in a court of law, you would be required to place your hand on the Bible and answer this question: “Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” The reason you are asked this threefold question on truthfulness is that it is not the truth if it is a partial truth or an embellished truth.
“Dad, So-and-so did such and such to me at school today!” But you leave out the part about the unkind comment you had made earlier to this person. You also add a few actions or words to make what he did seem worse than it was. So you are a liar. You say you didn’t lie. Yes, you lied when you did not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Excellence demands personal honesty.
4. Speak with Grace
“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt.”—.
This fourth law follows the honesty law on purpose. Although we should only speak the truth, not all that is true should be spoken.
Grace is commonly defined as “unmerited favor,” favor shown to us when we do not deserve it. If it were not for grace, none of us would be saved. Speaking with grace means that we should show the same type favor to others that we have received from God.
Never speak an unkind truth. Salt preserves. It does not destroy. When speaking of others, season your words with grace.
5. Speak only Acceptable Words
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”—.
Filter every statement through the sieve of God’s acceptance. Test every word against what He would deem correct. This will eliminate crude, vulgar, perverse and even questionable words and phrases.
Be especially careful of slang words. Many of these are derived from sexually explicit terms.
6. Speak Appropriately
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”—.
An appropriate statement is a work of art. Often we say the right thing at the wrong time.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”—.
A good question to ask yourself before you speak is, What time is it? Humor is a wonderful tool, but it is not always appropriate. Rebuke is often needed, but timing is everything. It is important not only to check if what you are about to say is right but also if it is the right time to say it.
7. Speak Respectfully
“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
“The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.”—,.
Consider carefully the tone in which you address people. Never sound as if you are rebuking someone older than you. If you disagree with someone in authority, approach him privately and speak to him with the same respect you would show your father. Entreat him.
Two teenagers have a question about a decision I have made. Neither is happy, and both want to convince me to change my mind or at least allow them to present their case.
The first approaches me in front of other students and, with a disrespectful tone, begins, “I don’t think you’re being fair about…” Whether or not he is right about my decision, he has already lost his case because he is wrong in his attitude.
The second teenager asks to talk to me privately at my convenience, then politely and respectfully asks me to clarify for him the decision I have made. I may not change my decision, but I guarantee you, if I can make any allowance for that young person, I will.
What’s the difference? One rebuked; one entreated. The difference is respect.
This verse also warns teens to guard against using suggestive statements or a suggestive tone with members of the opposite sex. Address other young people as you would your brother or sister “with all purity.” To do otherwise is to show a lack of respect for them and for God.
8. Never speak Evil of Another
“Speak not evil one of another, brethren.”—.
“Speak evil of no man.”—.
This goes beyond just saying something that is true but negative. The word “evil” in these verses speaks to motive. These verses are saying, “Don’t purposely say anything designed to defame someone. Do not be a reputation assassin.”
Carnality and pride are the motives behind any Christian who publicly or privately spreads any story, true or false, that blackens that person’s reputation. The Bible is very clear on this. The preachers I have the most respect for, when criticized, never retaliate. Instead, they obey the Bible and overcome evil with good. Never speak evil of another person.
9. Never Praise Yourself
“Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”—.
Nothing turns people off faster than the man who is a “legend in his own mind.” Be of a humble spirit and let God do the exalting.
10. Speak the Gospel Boldly
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”—.
When God gives you an opportunity to witness, give it all you’ve got! Always be ready to share your testimony with someone who is without Christ.
Excellent speech is the hallmark of excellent character. I dare you to yield your tongue to the use of God. In doing so, you will achieve a level of maturity and discipline that will serve you well throughout your life.
“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”—.