How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts?

1. How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts? Ps. 119:9-11 [By Ron Halbrook]

2. Ps. 119:9-11 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

3. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? Introduction: • Ps. 119:9-11 God’s Word: Pure Hearts & Lives • Look to Jesus: Perfect Example • Lk. 2:41-52 At age 12, focused on God • 1 Pet. 2:21-23 Sacrifice, suffer to do right • Heb. 12:1-2 Persistent, determined to obey • God’s Word: Valuable Lessons Secure Hearts

4. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? I. Respect God’s Authority A. Eph. 6:1-3 Begins with Respect for Parents 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

5. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? I. Respect God’s Authority B. Ps. 119:9-11, 97, 105 God’s Word Our Guide 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

6. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? I. Respect God’s Authority C. Rom. 13:1 Gov’t Ordained to Protect, Punish Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

7. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? I. Respect God’s Authority D. Heb. 13:7, 17 Leadership in Local Church 7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

8. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? II. Maintain Moral Purity A. Song of Sol. 8:9 Virgin’s Moral Strength: A Wall • Wall: Line of defense cannot be broken • Silver: Honor her purity If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

9. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? II. Maintain Moral Purity B. 1 Cor. 6:18 Flee Fornication: Dreadful Sin Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

10. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? II. Maintain Moral Purity B. 1 Cor. 6:18 Flee Fornication: Dreadful Sin • Fornication: all unlawful sexual intercourse • Fornication: by unmarried • Adultery: by married with one not his mate • Homosexual, lesbian: by persons of same sex • Rape: forced upon a victim • Incest, pedophilia: with one’s child, other’s child • Bestiality: person & animal

11. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. C. 1 Thess. 4:3-8 God’s Will: Control Body

12. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? II. Maintain Moral Purity D. 2 Tim. 2:22 Flee Fornication, Pursue Spiritual Growth Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

13. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? II. Maintain Moral Purity E. Heb. 13:4 Look Forward to Purity in Marriage Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

14. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? III. Plan to Marry a Christian A. Gen. 6:2, 5 Believers Married Unbelievers: World Soon Corrupted 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 5 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.

15. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? III. Plan to Marry a Christian B. Gen. 24:3, 7 Seeking Right Mate for Isaac 3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 7 The LORD God of heaven…he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

16. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? 23 In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: 24 And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. 25 And I contended with them…and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. C. Neh. 13:23-26 Unbelievers Influence Israel

17. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? III. Plan to Marry a Christian D. Eccl. 4:9-12 Two Better Than One 9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

18. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? III. Plan to Marry a Christian E. If Date Unbeliever, Guard Your Heart • 1st try to convert him—not interested? Drop him • Not marry to change him • If he is baptized, allow time to see if genuine

19. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? IV. Avoid Socially Acceptable Sins A. Ex. 23:2 Crowd Goes Wrong, Don’t Follow Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

20. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? IV. Avoid Socially Acceptable Sins B. Prov. 13:20 Friends Influence He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

21. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? IV. Avoid Socially Acceptable Sins C. Matt. 7:13-14 Stand with the Few 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

22. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? IV. Avoid Socially Acceptable Sins D. Rom. 12:1-2 Molded by World or God? 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

23. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? IV. Avoid Socially Acceptable Sins E. 1 Tim. 4:12 Be an Example, Not a Follower 12 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.

24. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? V. Put God First in School & Career Plans A. 1 Kgs. 3:9 Solomon Asked Gifts to Serve Others, Not for Selfish Ambition Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

25. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. B. Matt. 6:19-24 Daily Decisions: Where Heart Set

26. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VI. Love Kingdom of God Supremely A. Matt. 6:33 Seek God’s Kingdom Above All But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

27. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. B. Jn. 8:31-32; 18:36-37 Love Truth Supremely 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

28. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VI. Love Kingdom of God Supremely C. God’s Great Kingdom of Truth: Worthy of Our Best Love, Loyalty, Zeal

29. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VII. Grow Closer to God A. Eccl. 12:1 Remember God Now & Always Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

30. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VII. Grow Closer to God B. 2 Tim. 1:13 Steadfast in Truth, Spirit of Faith & Love in Christ Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

31. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VII. Grow Closer to God C. 1 Pet. 5:6-7 Talk to God in Prayer, Trust His Providential Care 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

32. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VII. Grow Closer to God D. Ps. 119:9-11 Listen to God 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

33. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? VII. Grow Closer to God E. Grow Closer to God: Always Listen to Him, Always Talk to Him

34. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? Conclusion: • How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts? • Respect God’s Authority • Maintain Moral Purity • Plan to Marry a Christian • Avoid Socially Acceptable Sins • Put God First in School & Career Plans • Love Kingdom of God Supremely • Grow Closer to God

35. How Shall Young Secure Hearts? Conclusion: • How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts? • All People of All Ages Secured by Same Principles • Acts 8:22 Christian fallen: Repent, pray, make correction • Acts 22:16 Sinners may enter God’s kingdom: Believe, repent, confess Christ, be baptized And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.