The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ (2)

Paul makes it plain that there is a difference between childish and mature understanding.

1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV 1900

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.

.

The “childish things” include childish—immature or undeveloped—understanding. An important priority of your teenage years is to perfect your understanding.

Write down the problem think real hard and now right down the answer The more you think the more you will get paid as long as it is productive thinking.

Understanding involves thinking. It is the ability to reason.

For the child of God, it is the ability to base our reaction to life’s circumstances and situations on intellect rather than emotion.

Understanding is when scriptural thoughts replace emotional reaction.

This does not eliminate emotion; instead, it channels our emotions into compliance with God’s emotions.

Understanding is the maturity to see a situation as God sees it, and feel about it as He feels.

In the book of Proverbs, again and again Solomon encourages his son to increase in three areas:

knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Notice how these three attributes are connected:

Knowledge: learning what God wants me to do. Understanding: learning why God wants me to do it. Wisdom: learning how to do what God wants me to do.

Understanding: learning why God wants me to do it.

Wisdom: learning how to do what God wants me to do.

From the time you were born until you reach the “magic” age of twelve, most of your biblical instruction is focused on seeing that you receive knowledge and wisdom.

These two attributes are strongly related. Reread their above definitions. Knowledge is learning what to do. Wisdom is learning how to do what God wants you to do.

In Sunday school and in preaching services, you have been taught what is right and that you have an obligation to do what is right.

Your parents have been commanded both to teach you—verbal instruction on what God expects from you—and train you—practical instruction on how to do what God expects from you.

This is the focus of the first twelve years of a child’s development.

They may not have spent a great deal of time up to this point telling you why you are to do what God wants you to do. That’s okay. Your teenage years are for perfecting your understanding, for increasing in stature.

Up to this point, the answer to the question, “Why?” may have been, “Because I said so.” Again, that’s okay.

I want you guys to tell me about things you wonder if it is right or wrong and than we will discuss those things in bible

A child who has not learned that wisdom is instantly obeying Bible knowledge will never be mature enough to attain understanding. God will never explain why to a person who won’t.

At age twelve, Jesus was already filled with knowledge and wisdom:

“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”—.

In the following verses of this same chapter, Jesus is in the temple conversing with the “doctors,” the biblical scholars of His time, “both hearing them, and asking them questions.”

He was filled with wisdom. By definition, He was also already filled with knowledge: no one can know how to do what he does not know to do. He had knowledge. He had wisdom.

Now He was after understanding. He wanted to know why. It was time to attain to biblical understanding or mature understanding.

Hey, teenager, it’s time to start developing your biblical intellect; time to begin to separate mentally, to distinguish, to consider, to understand the meaning of knowledge; time to acquire biblical reasons for doing what you have been taught to do.

We call this forming Bible convictions.

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”—

2 Timothy 3:14–15 KJV 1900

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

-

“Let no man despise thy youth….

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine….

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”—

1 Timothy 4:12–16 KJV 1900

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

If you have been reared in a good church, you have been exposed to Bible truths. Like Timothy, from childhood you have known the holy Scriptures.

You have been taught the stories of the Bible in Sunday school. You have won prizes and ribbons for Bible memory. Bible drills are your speciality—you can find faster than anyone else in your class!

The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, , the books of the Old and New Testaments in order —you can quote them all.

You can finish your Sunday school teacher’s lesson for her and know if she left out any part of the story. You have learned many Bible truths. But have you become assured of them? Have you given yourself wholly to them? Have you adopted Bible convictions?

In the above Scriptures, God is encouraging young people to go beyond a head knowledge of the truths of His Word. He is saying, “You have learned; now become convinced of My truths. You have been taught; now embrace My truths. You have read; now give yourself wholly to these truths. Make them yours. You know with your head; now believe with your heart!”

It seems that every preacher has used the illustration that many people miss Heaven by sixteen inches—the distance between your head and your heart.

I also believe that most Christians miss the will of God for their lives by the same distance. Very few of you teenagers reading this book could tell me why you believe what you say you believe. The reason is very simple: You never study the Bible for yourself.

I have watched teenagers grow up. I’ve worked with them for twenty years. See if the following scenario sounds familiar to you.

A teenager is reared in a good home and a Bible-preaching church. He is taught what is right to do and is expected to do it. For the most part, he complies—at least outwardly. He is a part of the youth group, maybe even goes to the Christian school.

He graduates. Within a few months, he has moved away from home. He no longer attends church. He develops a lifestyle opposite of that in which he has been reared.

What happened? In most cases, he was taught what to do, he was even taught how to do it, but he never matured in his understanding. He insisted on holding onto his childish understanding.

It is a lot easier simply to announce that you do not agree with the Bible teachings of your parents and pastor than it is to prove from the Scriptures that they are wrong. Where are the Bible principles upon which you are basing your life? Get out the Book!

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”—

1 Corinthians 14:20 KJV 1900

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

.

It’s time to grow up in your understanding of the Scriptures.

Your teenage years should be spent studying the Word of God, not in an attempt to find excuses for living the way you want but in an effort to find out the will of God in every matter as revealed in His Word.

Through the careful study of God’s Word, you will become assured of the things you have learned. Each Bible truth will become yours. The Holy Spirit will convince you of its accuracy and will help you to embrace each one as your own. But first you must study.

A Guide to Studying the Bible

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”—

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV 1900

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The Bible clearly commands every Christian to study the Bible—not just to read it. Here are some simple steps to help you begin to study the Bible:

Step 1: Enlist the help of a tutor—the Holy Spirit.

If you are saved, He dwells within you and wants to help you understand the Bible. Talk to Him. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not an “it.” He is as much a part of the Godhead as the Father or the Son. He has been given to us to teach us. Pray and ask Him to reveal truth to you as you study God’s Word.

Step 2: Spend time gathering knowledge.

Select a subject and do a word study.

What am I to meditate about?

Where am I to meditate?

When am I to meditate?

How will I benefit from meditation?

The answers to these questions are found in these verses. Remember, this is not an exercise of human intellect but a teaching exercise between the Spirit of God and the spirit of man.

You will need a good Bible concordance. For example, let’s use the word meditation. By using an exhaustive concordance, you will find that there are twenty verses in the Bible that use the word “meditate” or “meditation.” Look up these verses and write them out so you can view them together. This takes time and work! Don’t take shortcuts.

Gather all that the Bible says on a subject before dividing this information and drawing conclusions. To do less is to risk being inaccurate in your interpretation and beliefs.

Step 3: Rightly divide the information.

Organize the information found in these verses into proper categories. A good journalist or detective always asks the same questions: who, what, where, when and how? From the information included in these verses ask:

Who is this verse written to (to the saved or to the lost)?

why was it written

what was he trying to get us to accomplish by saying this

do I really believe this ?

Where am I to meditate?

When am I to meditate?

How will I benefit from meditation?

The answers to these questions are found in these verses. Remember, this is not an exercise of human intellect but a teaching exercise between the Spirit of God and the spirit of man.

Step 4: Define Bible words that are unfamiliar. A good Greek and Hebrew dictionary is provided in the back of your Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. Other good Bible dictionaries are on the market.

Step 5: Compare verses. Remember, the Bible never contradicts itself; instead, it completes itself. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible.

Step 6: Meditate on these verses. This is where the Holy Spirit has the great opportunity to teach us. If there is something unclear to you, pray and ask Him to guide you.

Step 7: Seek wise counsel. Most men of God enjoy helping a young person discover the truth of the Scriptures. Those who have spent their lives studying the Bible can help you with difficult passages. Also, beware of “never-before-discovered truths.” Before you announce that you have found a doctrine never before discovered, talk to your preacher. Often young Bible students miss qualifying truths from related Scriptures.

Step 8: Make personal application of the truths you have learned. The Bible is designed to change us. God is not impressed with how much Bible you know but with how much of it you live. Never forget that! Knowledge gathered but not applied will rot and stink like day-old manna. If you are unwilling to apply the wisdom the Holy Spirit teaches you, then He will cease to tutor you further.

Step 10: Be thankful. Praise the Lord and thank Him for His Word, His blessed Holy Spirit, and for teaching you His wisdom.

Personal Bible study, combined with the preaching and teaching you receive each week, helps you discover the “why’s” of your beliefs and keeps you from being deceived by false doctrine and worldliness.

Ephesians 4:14–15 KJV 1900

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

-.

“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”—,.

The teenager who studies the Bible for himself develops mental depth and spiritual insight beyond his years. Let’s look at some wonderful benefits to developing your understanding during your teenage years.

Benefits of Developing Mature Understanding

1. An Excellent Spirit

Proverbs 17:27 KJV 1900

He that hath knowledge spareth his words: And a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.

.

A teenager who begins to do right based on an understanding of God’s Word eliminates the cause of rebellion.

Dad and Mom are no longer “making” you do what is right.

The preacher becomes your friend because he is helping you to grow in your understanding.

Your desire to mature in your understanding makes you a delight, a blessing, to all those who teach you.

2. Happiness

Proverbs 3:13 KJV 1900

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding.

.

Maturity brings happiness.

Show me an immature teenager, and I’ll show you a miserable teenager.

A teenager who refuses to try to understand why right is right is self-centered and self-serving.

These two attributes always bring personal unhappiness.

3. Purity Protection

Proverbs 6:32 KJV 1900

But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

.

“That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.”—

Proverbs 7:4–5 KJV 1900

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the stranger which flattereth with her words.

-

A teenager who begins to study the “why’s” of the Bible will take to heart the biblical warnings and instruction concerning relationships with the opposite sex.

He ceases to fight against the dating rules and curfews that his parents, in wisdom, have established, because he understands why they are needed.

God is your friend try's to keep you from trouble.

4. Eliminates the Need for Punishment

Proverbs 10:13 KJV 1900

In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

“A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.”—.

“A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.”—

.

I am not just talking about parental punishment. Many adult Christians still refuse to become “men” in understanding.

They don’t want to understand why God wants them to do what He commands. They want to do what they want to do. Because of this immature attitude, they lead hard lives.

God knows how to push the right buttons. Because God loves us, He will chasten us when we act childish. Many times we, God’s children, bring unnecessary heartache and trials into our lives because we refuse to develop a biblical, eternal perspective on life.

5. A Passion for Life

Proverbs 16:22 KJV 1900

Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: But the instruction of fools is folly.

.

Understanding the “why’s” of the Christian life provides the passion for service.

It transforms duty into delight. It directs service from the heart instead of just the mind.

The effort to think like Christ is rewarded! When we share His thoughts, we also experience His passion. Understanding is the reason some Christians are filled with genuine joy. It is the emotion of service. It is not shallow. It is the icing on the cake of knowledge and wisdom.

6. Deepens Our Ability to Love God

“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

“And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.”—,.

Taking the time to think through the doctrines of the Bible will deepen your appreciation and love for all that God has done. You cannot love the Lord “with all the understanding” if you remain immature in your understanding. Maturity loves at a higher level than immaturity. As you develop your understanding, you will increase in maturity. This will increase your capacity to love the Lord.

Discipline Your Thinking

The third aspect of maturity involves our thinking. Paul wrote, “When I was a child…I thought as a child.” When he became a man, he “put away” immature thinking. He began to think like a man instead of a boy.

Does the Bible give us instruction concerning the maturity of our thinking? What is the difference between the way a child thinks and the way a man thinks? In Paul’s instruction to Titus, he encourages the young preacher to exhort the young men to think properly, to mature in their thinking: “Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded” ().

A mature mind is a sober mind. A sober mind in the Bible means a disciplined mind. What Paul is saying in is, ‘When I was a child, my mind was undisciplined. Then when I became a man, I began to discipline my thinking.’

The mature mind is a disciplined mind. God commands us to control our thoughts, to discipline our minds, to think correctly.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”—.

Maturity is correcting and disciplining our thinking, capturing every sinful, evil or unproductive thought and banishing it from our minds. It is making our minds obey Christ. This is the challenge of teenage years.

Which kinds of thoughts should not be allowed in a mature, disciplined mind?

Daydreaming Versus Diligent Thoughts

“I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.”—.

The word “vain” means desolate or empty. It is unproductive thinking.

King David, a man after God’s own heart, said that he hated empty thoughts. It made him mad when he caught himself daydreaming. He did not make excuses for it but treated it as a weakness of character.

Nothing is as undisciplined and unproductive as a wandering mind. David realized that a healthy, intelligent mind was a gift from God, a gift to be used to accomplish things for God.

Children daydream. In our Christian school, I often walk by a desk and observe an elementary student just staring off into space, completely lost in another world. In front of him sits his unfinished assignment. He is wasting time and accomplishing nothing.

I clear my throat and bring him back to the here and now. He glances at me sheepishly and once again dives into his work. I smile to myself. Daydreaming is part of childhood, a characteristic of immaturity.

A mark of maturity is the ability to concentrate fully on a project until it is complete. The ability to focus is a valuable commodity in the workplace and one of the characteristics of a productive employee. In school, discipline, more than intellect, is the difference between the A and B students.

“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.”—.

“Diligent thinking” is the opposite of “daydreaming.” Diligent people use their minds to create and produce; they are always planning, evaluating or meditating. They discipline their minds to work, not wander. It is the kind of thinking that separates the mediocre businessman from the truly successful one, the kind of thinking that enables one man to get twice as much done in a week as the man who is undisciplined.

The Humble Mind Versus the Proud Mind

I registered as a freshman in college when I was seventeen years of age. One of my first-semester Bible classes was taught by a godly professor, Dr. Carl Laurent. On the very first day in his class he gave us an unusual assignment. We were required to look up and write down all of the verses in the book of Proverbs that contained any form of the word “pride.” The assignment was due the next day.

I rushed to my dormitory after class to begin my assignment and quickly finished it. The next day Dr. Laurent stood before the class and challenged us to stand and read any verse that we had found in which God had anything good to say about pride. No one stood. I reread the verses before me and found just the opposite was true. God hates pride. As a young man, it was one of the most valuable lessons I was ever taught.

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”—.

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”—.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”—.

One of the weaknesses of youth is pride. Dr. Laurent, recognizing this, did the incoming freshman class a favor by impressing upon our minds God’s view of this sin. Anytime we think of ourselves more highly than we ought, we should immediately confess this sin to God, personally rebuke ourselves, and banish such thinking from our minds.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”—.

Sober or disciplined thinking refuses to allow men or women to think more highly of themselves than they ought. We ought to think of ourselves as children of God, because we are. We should think of ourselves as joint heirs of Christ, as overcomers, as beloved of God; because we are all these. But remember, these things are given to us by God. The moment we take credit for what we are or what we have accomplished, we commit the sin of pride.

The proud teenager says, “I can do all things.” The humble teenager says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Evil Thinking Versus a Pure Mind

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”—.

The Devil will try to convince you that it is impossible to have a pure mind in this day and age. This is one of his lies. The commands of God are accompanied by the grace of God to carry them out. Nowhere is a disciplined mind more necessary than in the battle against wicked thoughts. Consider these Bible principles:

1. God knows our thoughts.

“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

“Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.”—,.

2. Wicked thoughts are an abomination unto the Lord.

“The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.”—.

3. Wicked thoughts grieve the heart of our Lord.

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”—,.

In counseling young men who are frustrated because of their lack of victory over wicked thinking, I always share the above truths with them. Most already know all three. These truths will not give you victory over wicked thoughts, but they ought to give you the desire to have the victory. You must care about what God thinks and how He feels. Christ’s question to Peter, His backslidden disciple, rings across the span of time: “Lovest thou me more than these?” Well? How about it, young person? Christ awaits your answer.

The secret to overcoming wicked thinking is to learn the scriptural practice of meditation.

The Power of Bible Meditation

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”—.

Every teenager needs to have committed to memory. Read carefully the first three verses:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”—.

Let me describe most Christian teenagers that I meet today. Spiritually, they are like a tree planted in the desert—producing little or no spiritual fruit. They are spiritually withered—no spiritual energy, no passion, no victory. Why is this true? No meditation!

The Bible commands us to meditate upon three subjects:

1. The Person of God

“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

“My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.”—,.

2. The Works of God

“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

“I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of all thy doings.”—,.

3. The Word of God

“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”—.

We must be disciplined to think upon these things when wicked thoughts enter our minds. Good is stronger than evil. Overcome evil with good. A mature Christian learns to meditate on the character and Person of God. Start by writing down all the different titles God gives Himself. Why is He known by these things? Think! Meditate!

Next, write down a list of the mighty works of God—Bible stories that tell of His great miracles: the dividing of the Red Sea; manna from Heaven; turning water into wine; blind men given sight. Read one of these stories each morning, then meditate upon it all day long. What about the works of God in your own life?

Finally, we are commanded to meditate on the Word of God. As a teenager, I developed the habit of writing a verse of Scripture on a 3x5 card and carrying it with me. My goal was to memorize a verse a day. What I found out was that this single verse was also my greatest protection against the “fiery darts” of wicked thoughts that Satan hurled at me each day. I cannot begin to explain how this began to change me.

Any young person who makes the decision to begin to live like Christ, to think like Christ, will face the battle of his life.

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”—.

If, after reading this book, you decide to accept the ultimate challenge of living like Christ, do not think that this decision will go unnoticed by Satan. For many of my teen years, I lived a defeated Christian life. I was saved and faithfully attended church, but in my personal Christian life I was a failure—a failure in my walk with God, in personal holiness, in my ability to stand for Christ, and especially in my thought life. I grew more and more disgusted with myself. Down deep I wanted to please the Lord, but I just couldn’t seem to transfer that desire into action.

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”—.

For a few years, that could have been my life’s verse. Many times I went to an altar to make the decision to do right but over the course of the next few days would again find myself floundering in defeat. I knew that the battle was being lost in my thought life.

Disgusted and tired of living a lie, I sat down one day and made five adjustments that changed my life.

1. I decided that I would make Christlikeness the ultimate goal of my life. I would never again settle for anything less.

2. I set my alarm clock an hour earlier each morning to study my Bible and pray.

3. I left the house each morning armed with a Scripture and a song. I would write down a verse on a 3x5 card and memorize it and meditate upon it during the day. I would then pick a song out of our hymnbook to sing throughout the day. With these, I would do battle with Satan over my thought life.

4. I disconnected the radio in my car. You will never have victory over wicked thoughts while listening to the wrong kind of music.

5. I dissolved several relationships. When I was around certain people, it seemed almost impossible to do what was right. I am not blaming them; but for me to do what was right, these relationships had to be dissolved.

Of these five decisions, the single most helpful one was the decision to carry around a portion of God’s Word. This was my defense against the constant attack on my mind.

You do not have to walk around as a defeated Christian! Saturate your mind with the Scriptures! Plant your mind by the rivers of water. Discipline yourself to meditate on the Word of God.

During His teenage years, Jesus increased in stature. He matured. In order to become like Jesus, put away childish things. Develop excellent speech. Deepen your biblical understanding. Discipline your thinking.