Josiah's Example Is A Call To Young Men — Tim Conway

Josiah’s Early Reign and His Pursuit of God

So I had mentioned a couple weeks back that before I left the minor prophet Zephaniah, I had a message that I specifically wanted to target towards the young men. And I want to do that. I want you to turn here in your Bibles, is 2 Chronicles.

2 Chronicles chapter 34. And there's a reason. And there's a connection with Zephaniah. Zephaniah, we are very specifically told, was written in the days of Josiah. And I have mentioned that in the last two weeks.

And the goal here, and having you turned to 2 Chronicles, is I want you to see what's happening in the life of Josiah at the time Zephaniah is prophesying. So here you are, 2 Chronicles. And let's pray before we dive in.

Father, I ask You, please help now as we come to handle Your Word, the very Word of God, living, abiding. May it be so. May it equip, may it help, may it pierce, may it do the work that Your Word has been sent forth to achieve.

We ask that it not be idle, it not be useless, it not be an unprofitable endeavor, but that it may be rich and fruitful. I ask in Christ's name. Amen. Okay, Josiah. Just let's get a feel. Josiah. This is 2 Chronicles 34 verse 1.

Josiah was eight years old. Now young men, pay attention. We've got a number of young men here today. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign. So we've got some eight-year-olds probably here.

Can you imagine? Eight years old he began to reign as king. He reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

For in the eighth year of his reign, now that's eight plus eight, right? He was eight years when he began to reign, and eight years into his reign, he's now 16. It says, while he was yet a boy. God doesn't even regard him as being a man yet.

While still a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father. And that's it, young men. That is the very basis from which I want to preach today. When he was eight years old plus eight years into the reign, 16 years old, yet a boy.

I mean, even in our society, 18 years old or 21 years old, we talk about a boy becoming a man. He's 16. God doesn't even regard him as being a man yet. And he's seeking the God of David his father. And then in the 12th year, you can add 12 plus eight, now he's 20 years old.

How old he was when he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, and the ashram, and the carved, and the metal images. So this is when he gets radical. Now drop down to verse eight. Now in the 18th year of his reign, how old is he here?

Eight plus 18, he's now 26 years old. Now when he's 26, he has already cleansed the land and the house of God. And he sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, and Maasiah, the governor of the city, and Joah, the son of Joahaz, the recorder to repair the house of the Lord his God.

They came to Hilkiah, the high priest, and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim, and from the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, from the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

They gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord. So you see what's happening. When he's 26 years old, he has extensive work being paid for, this work to be done in the house of the Lord.

And the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing, restoring the house. They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, timber for the binders, beams for the buildings, that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.

So you see why he's doing this. The house of God had come to ruin. Not only has he sought the God of David with all of his heart, and he's cleansed the land, now he's having the house of God brought out of its ruinous state.

Verse 12,. And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, and the sons of Mererai and Zechariah and Mishalem, and the sons of the Kohathites, to have oversight.

The Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music, were over the burden bearers, and directed all who did work in every kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

Recovering the Book of the Law

While they were bringing out the money that they had been brought into the house of the Lord, here's what I want you to get. Hilkiah the priest. See what's happening. You start cleaning up the house of the Lord.

And there's closets, and there's compartments, and there's probably piles of stuff, and there's cubby holes, and you can imagine what it might be like. Bookshelves. Little attic spaces. I mean, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord.

In other words, they hadn't had it. In other words, this King Josiah was seeking the Lord, and he didn't even have the Word of God. Now all of a sudden it's discovered when he's 26 years old. The one that was given through Moses.

Verse 15,. Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. Shaphan brought the book to the king and further reported to the king, All that was committed to your servants they're doing.

They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen. Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.

And Shaphan read from it before the king. And when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. We don't do that. But that was an expression of grief, of heavy emotion. And the king commanded Hilkiah, the son of Shaphan, the son of Micah, Shaphan, the secretary, and Isaiah the king's servant saying, Go inquire of the Lord.

You see the first thing he does? He goes seek out a prophet. In this case, it's a prophetess. We need to hear from the Lord. He is afraid about what he's just heard from this book. Go inquire of the Lord for me.

And for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us. Because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do according to all that's written in this book.

So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shalom, the son of Tokath, son of Hazra, keeper of the wardrobe. Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter and spoke to her to that effect.

And she said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, tell the man who sent you to me. Thus says the Lord. Behold... Now you need to get this. He's humbled himself. He's been seeking God since he was 16 years old.

He's now 26. For the last 10 years, he has been leading this nation in reforms. And yet, listen to what God says. I will bring disaster on this place. It's like it doesn't matter what Josiah is doing.

It doesn't matter the reforms he's brought to this land. I am going to bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants. All the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah.

Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods. They might provoke me to anger and with the works of their hands, therefore, my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.

But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, regarding the words that you have heard because you're... listen to this.

Young men, you want to get this. Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me.

I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace and your eyes shall not see the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.

And they brought back word to the king. Now, you see what God has said. Josiah is going to be spared, but the nation is not. You know, there are times when you can find that the prophet was told... I think of Jeremiah.

The prophet is told to go stand outside the temple on the Sabbath as everybody is entering. The king comes in. Stand there and declare the word of the Lord. You can imagine in Josiah's day, Zephaniah is standing before this house of the Lord that is under refurbishment.

It's being resurrected. The decay, the ruin is being fixed. It's being corrected. And here's Zephaniah. And what's he saying? Thus says the Lord, I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth.

Zephaniah’s Warning of Judgment

I'm reading from Zephaniah. I will sweep away man and beast. I will sweep away the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, the rubble, the wicked. I will cut off mankind. Those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of Him, God's going to sweep them all away.

The great day of the Lord is near, near, hastening fast. The sound of the day of the Lord is bitter. The mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day. A day of distress and anguish. A day of ruin and devastation.

A day of darkness and gloom. A day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of trumpet blast and battle cry. I will bring distress on mankind so that they shall walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord.

Their blood shall be poured out like dust. Their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on that day, the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of His jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed.

For a full and sudden end He will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. While these reforms are taking place, this halt of the prophetess said it, God's going to destroy them. Zephaniah is over here.

He says it. Now here's the thing. Can you imagine? Can you imagine Zephaniah there? I mean, you just imagine. Go down to Manchester and say that. Judgment's coming. It's going to be bitter. A great day.

Wrath, distress, anguish, ruin, devastation, darkness, gloom. And this is coming. And it's a reality. They're going to look at you. They're going to hate you. They're going to stone you. And it's not surprising that they've killed the prophets and they've killed the men of God that have arisen right before we came here today.

It took Abraham to see where John Wesley, down at the bottom of the hill, preached. They threw stones at him. They bloodied his head. In those days, they beat people. They killed people. They tormented people who sought to preach the truth.

Young men, you want to pay attention to this. Why would Zephaniah pronounce such utter destruction? Well, it says because they've sinned against the Lord. And I dealt with this last week. They don't seek the Lord.

They don't inquire of Him. That's why. Micah, Jesse, Caleb, Joshua, whoever you're hiding, I still haven't seen you in here. Oh, but Enzel and Lucas and Kevin, Benji, the other young men that are in this place, you want to pay attention.

The multitudes obviously were under the wrath of God. Now you think about this. Here's a 16-year-old king. You know what this tells me? The vast majority of his advisors, the vast majority of the people, maybe even the priests, maybe even the temple singers, the temple had gone to ruin.

You remember who his father was. Manasseh had been in the land not too long before this. And then his own father, what was it, Ammon. Folks, the country was in a bad way. And let me tell you, this 16-year-old, he went against the grain.

Going Against the Current of the World

Multitudes under the wrath of God. And multitudes today are under the wrath of God. But you know what? Josiah was different. Can I tell you this, young men? Only those who are different end up pleasing God and being delivered from the devastation to come.

It's being different. It's not being like the rest of them. Young men, different. The question to you is, are you, young man, are you different than all the other young men? While yet a boy, Josiah was remarkable.

In the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David, his father. And you know what? Josiah was not among a bunch of good people. He was not among a bunch of neutral people.

Sometimes we imagine that. You know, kind of the world, people smiling, people just basically neutral. No, that's not it. God is threatening judgment because these are bad people and they're doing wicked things.

And they've, remember how we defined wickedness last week? It's just basically don't inquire of the Lord. Don't call upon Him. Just live your life and do your thing and forget Him. That's it. God is bringing disaster because these people are not seeking Him.

And then there's Josiah. See what Josiah is doing. He's going against the grain. Oh, it is so easy to jump in a river and go in the direction of the river. You know, you can swim in the ocean where there's big surf and the wind and the waves can come in at an angle and you play in those waters and they will take you down the beach.

My buddies and I, we went to Fort Lauderdale. We were out there swimming in the surf. It was coming in at an angle. After we'd been out there an hour or two, we looked up and everything looked different on the beach.

Hey, where'd our blankets go? Where'd our towels go? They were way down the beach. Actually, I think it was that way. How'd that happen? It was the current. It took us away. That's what happens in life.

If you just jump into the current, the current of this world, it's called the course of this world. It just follows the prince of the power of the air. It's a very easy way to go. He just swept along by it.

But he went against the grain. While Zephaniah is out there condemning the vast majority of the rest of the world, including the very people that Josiah was ruling over, young men seeking the God of David is what Josiah did as a boy.

That's not just something old people do. You know what? Sometimes we get young men in the church, and it's like, well, religion is for older people. Why? Because there's a lot of older people typically in the church.

A lot of people older than you. And so you can just say, well, that's for older people. That's for old women. You better rethink that. Josiah went against the whole grain. Look around. You just look around.

Look around in this world. You answer me this question. How many young men are seeking the God of David in Manchester on this day in 2022? You full well know the answer to that. How many young men take up their cross and follow Christ?

How many are really doing that? How many seek the God of David? And let me tell you, young men, death and judgment are waiting for young men. You may have quick minds. You know what happens when you're a young man?

You begin to come into puberty, and your muscles begin to develop. And you feel strong. And you know what? Comparatively, you are. You get strong. You're young. Your mind works fast. My mind as a 25-year-old when I was in college from 18 to whenever, my mind doesn't work the same way now.

What happens? You get older. What happens when you're young? You start to get handsome. You start to get muscles. You're quick with the mind. Young men, you better remember something. No matter how good you feel, no matter how...

You look at your mom. You look at your dad. Well, they're starting to get old. And they've got problems. And they start to get overweight. They've got pains here. And all their back hurts and everything.

And you just think what? That's not going to happen to you? Let me tell you something, young men. It is appointed for you to die. And then the judgment. No matter how strong, no matter how healthy you think you might be.

And I'll tell you this. God did not give you muscle and youth to simply run around and wow the young ladies. He gave you that energy. And He gave you that mind to worship Him with. And that's what Josiah did.

Youth, Death, and the Certainty of Judgment

And see how God commends him for humbling himself before Him. The preacher says, and it's sarcasm. I hope you realize that about Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is a very odd book in our Bibles. But it's written by Solomon at such a time when he looks at things from just a humanistic perspective.

And he says this, Rejoice, O young man, in your youth. Let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart. He's just saying do whatever you want. Go after your lusts. Go after your passions.

Go after what your eyes desire. But just know this, young men. Just know this. For all these things, God will bring you into judgment. Let me ask you something. Where's Josiah? He was 16. We see about him.

Then he was 20. We see what he did. Then he was 26. And guess what? He reigned 31 years. After 8, that's 39 years. He's gone. He lived. He came. He died. He's gone. He was a young man once. Just like you.

But he didn't stay like that. Youth is very fleeting. It's here. It's gone. A lot of people don't even make it through it. They die. Job had 10 children. They died. Remember the 40 that made fun of Elisha?

They didn't get too far. He came. Josiah, he came. He went in a moment. What do you think, young men? What do you think? Do you imagine that, well, I'm young. I'm going to live it up now. But when I get old, then I'm going to take care of it.

Wow. Because that's how I thought. Cruising along with a buddy, going to the beach, Lake Michigan. Trunk full of beer. Driving by church on a Sunday. I saw those people going in there. I got to get that right one day.

God could have easily let me have a head-on collision right there on that highway and thrown me into hell in that moment. What do you think? Do you imagine that you're going to pay attention to the matters of your soul some other day?

Do you really think that? Someday. Just not today. Right? Listen to me. Young men. That's what the devil tells you. Just not today. And then you know what happens when you get old? My grandfather told me this.

And the devil says, you're too old. My grandfather said, I'm too old. Let me tell you something. Bunyan, his grave is over here in London. I've been there. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress. And there is a place where Christian, that's the main character in Pilgrim's Progress, he comes to the house of one who is named Interpreter.

The Iron Cage and the Danger of Delayed Repentance

And Interpreter took Christian into a very dark room. Bunyan captured this so well. Young men, you should pay attention to this. This man was in an iron cage. And he was very sad. And his eyes looked down, sighing as if he would break his heart.

And the man in that cage said, I am now a man of despair. And I'm shut up in despair as in an iron cage. I can't get out. Oh, I cannot. And Christian says to him, but how did you get into this condition?

The man said, I left off watching and being sober. And I laid the reins upon the neck of my lust. I sinned against the light of the word and the goodness of God. And now I've grieved the spirit and he's gone.

I tempted the devil and he's come. I provoked God to anger and he's left me. I'm so hardened my heart that I can't repent. Then said Christian to Interpreter, but is there no hope for such a man as this?

The man said, no. There is no hope at all. Interpreter said, why? The son of the blessed is very pitiful. The man in the cage said, I've crucified Christ to myself afresh. I've despised his person. I've despised his righteousness.

I've counted his blood an unholy thing. Therefore, I've shut myself out of all of his promises. And there now remains to me nothing but threatenings, dreadful threatenings, fearful threatenings of certain judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour me as an adversary.

Interpreter said to him, for what did you bring yourself into this condition? The man said, for lust, for pleasure, for the profits of this world. The enjoyment of which I promised myself much delight.

But now every one of those things bites me and gnaws me like a burning worm. Interpreter says, but can you not now repent and turn? The man says, God has denied me repentance. When I go to his word, it gives me no encouragement to believe.

God has shut me up in this iron cage. And nor can all the men in the world let me out. Oh, eternity, eternity. How shall I grapple with the misery that I must meet with in eternity? Young men, don't be deceived.

Don't think you can at will serve your lusts, your friends, sex, money, and that some day in your life you're going to all of a sudden decide to turn and serve God with ease later in life. Don't you believe that.

Because you'll end up like that man in the iron cage. Bunyan didn't invent that. He knew that from real people. You come under the light of this truth. You better fear it like Josiah did. Tear your clothes, repent, and turn and serve and seek the God of David while you have life and while you have breath.

Because it'll run out soon. And I can imagine Josiah thought he'd live longer than just to the age of 39. Folks, young men, you know Felix. Felix heard the truth. Well, it stirred him. It convicted him.

But not now. Not yet. Tomorrow is the devil's day. Believe me. Today, God says, today is God's day. Today is the day of salvation. That's what Scripture says. Felix, he hoped that there'd be a more convenient time.

Did that convenient time ever come? Young men, you better lay hold of this. Your time is short. You'll soon be gone. And I'll tell you this, most people that get saved get saved young. There are exceptions.

There are. There are exceptions in this room. But I'll tell you this, anybody that's pastored for any amount of time, they recognize it, most people get saved young. You know why? Because people that are exposed to the truth when they're young, and then they harden their hearts and they lay those reins to their lusts, and they say, I'm going to go live it up with my friends.

I'll get things right with God later on. You know what? It never happens. It doesn't happen. I know there are exceptions, but not many. And I'll tell you this, when death comes, it is utterly vain to talk about tomorrow.

Your soul will be required of you right then. Young men, have you ever thought about this? Why would the writer of Ecclesiastes single out young men to live it up? But no, there's judgment. Why would the whole book of Proverbs be written to a son?

Why? Because Scripture knows. Listen to this. Proverbs, written to young men. Because I have called you, and you refused to listen. It stretched out my hand, and no one has heeded. Isn't that amazing?

No one has heeded. Do you see how few actually heeded? For God to say that? No one has heeded. Because you've ignored all my counsel, and with none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you.

You see, when you end up in that cage, and then, and then, what? God gives you no hope at all. You find no hope in any of his promises in the Word. I'll tell you what happens. You begin to look at Scripture, and all you find is condemnation on every single page.

And you can't change the reality of that. Young men. Young men! Think about the day in which we live. Think about the country in which we live. It's an effeminate day. Masculinity is scorned. You know what I found?

I was surprised. You guys corrected me at first on this. I said something about, you know, the suicide rate among young women, and somebody said here, I think Para, maybe you did, said the suicide rate was actually higher among men here.

And I began to look at it. You know what? The suicide rate is more than three times higher for men than women in this country. What's happening? I'll tell you what's happening. Men are bailing out. When the going gets rough, young men are checking out.

Worldly Distractions and the Call to Masculine Faithfulness

Why? Look what they're doing. Look what's happening. Young men, they sit in front of their phones all day. They sit in front of their computers all day. TV screens. Immersed in video games. Immersed in pornography.

What an empty, useless, vain, pathetic existence most of the young men. I've told you this before. We found, without exception, every single young man that got saved at GCC. They had been addicted to porn.

Everyone, without exception. Young men. You know what? Young men are staying at home longer and longer. Letting mom pick up their room. Letting mom cook their meals. Letting mom do their laundry. Longer and longer.

Playing video games. No drive. No direction. And they sit there under the wrath of God. And they know it not. A whole nation of young men in this United Kingdom. Under the wrath of God. With all manner of voices shouting at them.

It's best if you don't really know you're a young man. Best you not be so convinced about your gender at all. Young men who want to be feminine. You just walked into some place in Manchester to get Abraham a toothbrush.

And there's a guy in there, long hair, effeminate, dressed in pink clothes. What a pathetic way to just shrink and shirk your male responsibilities. Young men. We need men. We need those full of masculinity.

Full of manliness. By not having to be like every other young man in this country. Who are going to be like Josiah. When the whole current is going that way. They say, they point their head in another direction.

And they say, I'm going after the God of David. I'm going in this direction. You guys can go in that direction. But I'm going in this direction. Even though they laugh at you. Even though they make fun at you.

Even though they scorn. That's what we need. We need men daring enough to be different. Brave enough to seek and pursue this God of Scripture. Brave enough to seek eternal life. While the rest of this young men in this country simply sag down and rest in the beds of their own destruction.

That's what's happening all around us. We're surrounded by young men. Listen, when we look in Scripture there are categories. Categories. There's lost young men and there's saved young men. And saved young men, you know what they look like?

They look like Josiah. And we just need to say it. There are young men who stand out. Some, like Josiah, young men who break rank. There are. They break rank with the rest of the perishing crowd. They go in search of that eternal crown.

Bunyan. Again, I want to go back to Bunyan. He so well captures the essence of the typical young man that we see all around us today. Again, it's interpreter's house. But guess what? This is the next part.

This is where Christian's wife, Christiana, is now pursuing the celestial city. She comes to interpreter's house. Listen to this. Interpreter takes Christiana into a room where there's a man that could look no way but downwards with a muck rake in hand.

A muck rake. He's just raking muck. There stood one over his head. Imagine this. An angel floating overhead or Christ floating overhead with a crown. The eternal crown of life. There stood over this man with a celestial crown in his hand, offering to give him that crown in exchange for his muck rake.

Just give me your muck rake. I'll give you the crown. But the man didn't either look up nor give regard, but raked on, raking straw, sticks, dust. Then said Christiana to Christiana, I persuade myself that I know the meaning of this.

This is a figure of the man of this world. Is it not good, sir? Interpreter said, thou hast said right. And his muck rake shows his worldly mind. He would rather give heed to rake, straw, sticks, and the dust of the floor than listen to him who offers the celestial crown.

Shows that heaven is but a fable to some and that things here are counted as the only thing substantial. He looks no way but downward. Earthly things carry their hearts away from God. Listen to this. Then said Christiana, Oh, deliver me from this muck rake.

That prayer, said interpreter, is scarce the prayer of one in 10 ,000. There are 10 ,000 young men in this city. All they are is about the muck rake. And I'm afraid there's young men in this room too.

Doesn't matter what name you bear. Look at your hand. You're carrying the muck rake. You can't look up. Let me tell you something. It's easy to go to hell. Easy. Just do nothing. Absorb yourself in the stuff of this world.

Just rake on. Live for the iPhone. Live for girls. Live for your buddies, your friends. Just absorb yourself. With your muscles, your music, your bikes, your cars, your motorcycles, your houses, your gardens, your tools, girls, sex, computers, education, job, family.

And ignore the God of David. Just do that. Easy enough. The broad way leads to destruction. Many there be that go in there at. Why? Because it's easy. It's easy religion. It's just easy. Folks, young men, what you don't want to do, don't be passive and just sit there and wait.

Don't wait for God to do something. He's already doing something. He's calling you to seek Him. Why do you think He gives you examples like this? Why do you think He tells you like through the prophet Jeremiah?

You will seek Me and find Me when you seek with Me with all your heart. Something's expected of you. Seeking always means that you actually do something. You do seek. It means you set your mind on finding the God of David.

That's what Josiah did. If you would seek God, what do you do? Well, you turn from the known sin. You turn from it. You cry out to Him to reveal Himself to you. You go to His Word in search of Him. And you actually respond to what's said in this book.

That's what Josiah did. Josiah read there and he said, Wow, God is serious. And he tore his clothes. He humbled himself. That means he went low. That means God got big when He read this book and He got small.

He took the low position. That's what it means. That's it, folks, young men. I plead with you. Live like you have an eternal soul. Live like there's a heaven to be gained. Live like there's a hell to be avoided at all costs.

Live for your highest good. Live for the highest life. Live for the highest being. Live for the highest bridegroom. Live for the highest intimacy with Him. Live for the more abundant life. Live for the highest joy.

Why would you not? Be wise. Live wisely. Those who sit and wait passively, you know what happens to them? They perish. Go after God like you mean to find Him. Call upon the Lord. Seek Him on your knees.

Give Him no rest. And give yourself no rest. What you want to be is modern day Josiahs. Why? Because modern day Josiahs are on the right path. And if you're not like that, then you're like the rest of those that were in Israel in His day.

And Zephaniah had a word for them. And his word for them was not a good word. It was disaster. It was doom. And it was destruction. And don't believe it's any different today. And you can say, well, this is just doom and gloom.

I'll tell you, this is coming out of the Word of God, folks. And I'm not making this up. You know that. Young men, you ought to think the devil is real. And I'll tell you this. You better wake up because you have an enemy.

The Devil’s Assault on Young Men

And you know what Jesus said? Jesus says He's a murderer. And I'll guarantee you this. He wants to murder your soul. Be sure of this. Be sure of this. You know what I'm sure of? It's just like in a battle.

You know, there was a time when the U .S. military, we shot Yamamoto's plane down. We'd broken their code. We heard that probably one of their greatest generals was going to be on a flight over certain South Pacific islands.

And we took him down. You know what? You're fighting the enemy. You want to take the head off. You don't want to just shoot the privates if you've got a chance to get the general or the admiral. You know what the devil knows?

What we know. Who grows up to lead countries, corporations, families, churches? I mean, who should be? When our genders are properly put on display. And the devil knows full well who it is. Young men, you grew up to be just those kind of people.

The devil uses special diligence to destroy the souls of young men. And most young men are totally clueless to it. They just walk around in the world seeking fun, seeking pleasure. Paul specifically wrote to the young man, Timothy, Flee youthful passions.

Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. Along with all those who call on the Lord. Wouldn't you like that? Be one of those like Josiah who calls on the Lord. Who seeks the Lord. To Titus, another young man, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

Self-control. Why do you think the whole book of Proverbs originally written to young men? Warning against the temptations that young men face. Have you ever thought about what do the Proverbs especially take themselves up with?