1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,280 Gen. Z, Gen. 2 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:02,480 Z, Gen. Z, Gen. 3 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,720 ZI have grown so tired of seeing young Christians so excited 4 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,080 about Jesus only to fall away a few years later. 5 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,720 So I decided to go on a deep dive on what you need to know to 6 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,240 stop this from happening to you and most importantly, why you 7 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:21,600 must not let Satan deceive you of the same lie that is used on 8 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,240 millions of young Christians over the years. 9 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,080 OK, I can hear exactly what some of you are thinking. 10 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,360 What right do you have to talk to me about being a NZ 11 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,159 Christian, Joe? You're clearly not in my 12 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:35,600 generation and you've got no idea what it is like to grow up 13 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,360 in my culture. Well guys, believe me, I do hear 14 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,080 you. But here's the thing, the human 15 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,000 heart, it doesn't change, does it? 16 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:45,440 And you'd be shocked if you knew what I was planning when I was 17 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,280 in my 20s. You see, I got married very 18 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,200 young, I was just 22 and I went straight into ministry and 19 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,600 almost immediately I started seeing things in the church that 20 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,160 most young people would never have to face. 21 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,440 So here I was, I was going through really difficult season. 22 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,960 I'd moved away from my hometown to a new area. 23 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,720 I had no friends. Well the only friend I had was 24 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,720 my mentor who was more than 30 years older than me. 25 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,520 But here's the worst part. I'd open up Facebook and I'd see 26 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,680 my old school friends, my non Christian friends, and they were 27 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,240 having the time of their life. They were going to wild parties, 28 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,480 they were travelling the world, they were all meeting together 29 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:23,640 in Australia. They were having so much fun. 30 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,320 And so this is what Satan started to whisper in my ear. 31 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,400 You're missing out on your youth. 32 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:31,880 You should be having fun like all your other friends from 33 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:33,320 school. You shouldn't be worrying about 34 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,720 church politics. You shouldn't be worrying about 35 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,520 bills and marriage. You're so young and soon your 36 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,280 youth will be entirely over and you'll never get it back again. 37 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,800 So although I'm not proud of this, I started to do something. 38 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:49,960 I started to look over my shoulder. 39 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,320 I started to think that the grass does look greener on the 40 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:55,640 other side. And I honestly wondered if I 41 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,120 actually wanted the things of the world more than I wanted the 42 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,000 Lord Jesus Christ. Guys, before you judge me, 43 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,600 you've got to know this. I did feel totally ashamed of 44 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,840 these thoughts. And so I finally confessed them 45 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,520 to this older brother in the faith, my mentor. 46 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,240 And instead of giving me advice or a pep talk, he just said one 47 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,040 thing. Joe, you need to learn Psalm 73. 48 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,800 So I did, and I can tell you it became a lifeline to me, so much 49 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,680 so that I believe every Christian, especially young 50 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,840 believers, everyone should know this Psalm by heart. 51 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:30,640 Why? Well, because it teaches you 52 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:33,520 lessons that you will need when you get these very dark 53 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,120 thoughts. So Are you ready? 54 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:36,360 Let's get into it. Now. 55 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,520 We don't actually know who this Psalm is about. 56 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:41,200 We know a man called Asaph wrote the Psalm. 57 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:42,640 But there are two schools of thoughts. 58 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:46,040 Either Asaph himself wrote it, looking at his own struggles, or 59 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,760 he wrote it for someone else, IE David. 60 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,480 Personally, I think it was Asaph who wrote this Psalm talking 61 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,120 about himself, and you'll probably get a feel for that as 62 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,400 we go through this. So here we find Asaph and he's 63 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,760 got a sort of assault on his faith. 64 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,080 He's got a grievance that's in his heart. 65 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:07,000 He's got a thought that he just cannot get out of his mind and 66 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,840 he's struggling with it. It's there. 67 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,840 And it's a thought that I do believe every single one of us 68 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:14,520 at some point has struggled with in our Christian life. 69 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,040 It's a thought or a question that I would be very surprised 70 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:18,640 if you have never wrestled with before. 71 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:22,760 And it's this How can an infinitely powerful God be good, 72 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,720 be righteous, be holy, and yet let the righteous go unrewarded, 73 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,320 go through trials, go through difficulties? 74 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,000 But on the flip side, he lets the wicked, the wicked who hate 75 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,280 him, he lets them prosper, He lets them be in abundance, He 76 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:42,160 lets them have earthly success. So let's answer the question, is 77 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,920 being a Christian a waste of time? 78 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,960 Take a look at this Psalm 73 verse 2 says, But As for me, my 79 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,680 feet had almost stumbled. My steps had nearly slipped. 80 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,240 So here Asaph paints as a picture. 81 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,080 Here he is, and he's standing on the very edge of a slippery 82 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,240 mountain slope. This is what he can see. 83 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,080 It's it's like it's raining. It's like there's no steadiness 84 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:06,960 there. And he looks over the Cliff 85 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,360 edge. He looks down and there he sees 86 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,520 right at the bottom is a sheer drop. 87 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,840 What is this deep valley called? It is called the the valley of 88 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,519 unbelief. And Asaph is saying I'm just one 89 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,680 step away from slipping down and falling into unbelief. 90 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,200 But over to you now, what do you think the issue was that Asaph 91 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,160 was struggling with? Look at verse three. 92 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,680 He says, for I was envious of the boastful when I saw the 93 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,880 prosperity of the wicked. Here he sees the foolish man, 94 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,480 the foolish people, the wicked people, the people who have no 95 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:39,520 care for God. And later he's going to tell us 96 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:41,840 a little bit more about these kinds of people. 97 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:44,960 These are the kind of people who laugh at God, who talk about the 98 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:49,120 Most High in disrespectful ways. And yet these very people, even 99 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,200 though they disrespected God, they were thriving, they were 100 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:54,280 doing well. It seemed like they were better 101 00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:56,840 off. So ASAP built a logical 102 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,400 conclusion in his mind. If you ignore gods, if you 103 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,440 ignore His commands, you are going to be successful in this 104 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,680 life. And so when he saw all of this 105 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,560 and he looked at the exciting life that they were living, Asaf 106 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,440 was very jealous. All right, jump over to verse 5 107 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,360 with me. They are not in trouble as other 108 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:19,880 men, nor are they plagued like other men. 109 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:22,600 Do you see that? Here are these wicked people. 110 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,520 Here are these unbelievers who mocked God, and yet it seemed 111 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,880 like they didn't have the same troubles the other men had. 112 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,600 They didn't have the same trouble as the unbeliever. 113 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,240 No, quite the opposite. They were in abundance. 114 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,320 In verse 7, it goes on to say they have more than their heart 115 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:41,960 could wish. I mean, could you imagine that 116 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,800 if every desire in your heart, evil or good, if all the desires 117 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,480 in your heart were achievable, were within your grasp, that 118 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:53,560 look like, and yet we can probably think of people right 119 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,560 now, maybe famous people, maybe even people we know at our 120 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,720 school, at our college or at our job. 121 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:02,840 And it seems like when we look at them, they have more than 122 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:05,800 their heart could wish. They have everything that they 123 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,160 could ever want, and yet they have no care, no thought for the 124 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,600 Most High. God, may I be transparent with 125 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:15,120 you Again, as I said, when I was younger, in my 20s, I had a sort 126 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,120 of quarter life crisis where I really did struggle. 127 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,920 And again, I want you to know, it's not easy to talk about this 128 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:25,200 across the entire Internet, but I did feel that I wanted to walk 129 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,880 away at points. I really did take my hand off 130 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,440 the plow doing all the wrong things, thinking I wanted to be 131 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,760 in the world, drinking in all the passing delights of this 132 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,840 sparkling life, even though I was saved at the time. 133 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,000 And I did love Jesus. So that was in my 20s, but I 134 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,320 want to know, am I the only one who's had these feelings before? 135 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,560 Just be honest with me if I am. I do really want to know because 136 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,600 in a moment's time we're going to hear the solution of how to 137 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,160 beat these kinds of thoughts. Because there is a very powerful 138 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:58,400 answer in Psalm 73 that I doubt you have ever heard any preacher 139 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,120 mention before. But first, I want to share one 140 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,360 more secret with you. As you can probably tell, I am a 141 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,280 very weak Christian in a lot of areas and one area that I knew 142 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:10,600 could potentially ruin me is money. 143 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,240 So back in 2015 when I started this YouTube channel, I made a 144 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,720 decision not to run adverts on my channel because I knew for me 145 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,800 personally, I knew that I couldn't keep my feet on the 146 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,120 ground if I had that kind of money running through my fingers 147 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,160 every week. So why have I told you that? 148 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,000 Well I believe as I'm speaking this very message, I believe God 149 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,920 has brought something into your very mind. 150 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,640 You are thinking of something right now that you need to turn 151 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,560 from something that you need to put guardrails in your life. 152 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,880 And I would urge you if God has laid something to do on your 153 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,160 heart right now, don't delay whilst your heart is still 154 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,480 tender. Don't delay whilst you can still 155 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,400 hear the voice of God. Oh, and by the way, on a more 156 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,520 practical note, if you are challenged by this video and 157 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,800 you're not against ad free content, please do subscribe for 158 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:57,880 more. OK, here's a question for you. 159 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,040 Did Asaph get any relief from his thoughts? 160 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:05,800 No, look at verse 14 with me for all day long I have been plagued 161 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,160 and chastened every morning. In other words, he wakes up in 162 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,440 the morning and he's he's got these troubles in his mind. 163 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,600 In the evening he has these troubles in his mind. 164 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,200 He goes to bed, he wakes up the next day and he's got these 165 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:17,800 troubles in his mind. All day. 166 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:19,520 He's surrounded by these troubles. 167 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,400 All day long. He's saying my life, my life is 168 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,520 just full of trouble. But on the flip side, when he 169 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,640 looks out and he sees the ungodly, it appears that they 170 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:30,800 are on the winning side. And when he looks at his own 171 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,039 troubles in his own life, it appears that he is on the losing 172 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,520 side. Now between you and me, I 173 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,320 believe the greatest tragedy is in verse 13. 174 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,080 I really find this very heartbreaking. 175 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:48,120 Verse 13 says, surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and 176 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:53,000 washed my hands in innocence. In other words, Asaph is saying 177 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,520 here I am as a man who trusts in God and I've sought to keep my 178 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,600 hands clean from sin. I've sought to stop letting 179 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,320 unclean things come into my mind and my heart. 180 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:04,360 I've tried everything to cleanse myself. 181 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:08,240 I've tried to be a holy vessel for you, Lord God and yet what 182 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,600 was the point? What is the point in having a 183 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,200 clean heart? What is the point in purity? 184 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:16,280 There's no gain in being pure. There's no advantage in trying 185 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,160 to be a pure vessel for God. There's no reward in it. 186 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,280 In fact, it seems like when I look at the ungodly, it seems 187 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,080 like the complete opposite. It seems like I'm struggling 188 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,040 even though I'm trying to keep myself pure. 189 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,360 And yet the unrighteous, they're prospering when they don't care 190 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,200 about purity. They dive head first into sin. 191 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,040 They do everything they want and more. 192 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,440 I do wonder, did anyone else pick up on this? 193 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,280 It almost feels like he's asking this question. 194 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,840 Is it even worth continuing in the ways of God? 195 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:48,240 But now can I ask you this? Have you ever felt like that 196 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:50,240 before? Why am I doing this? 197 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,400 There's no end to my trouble. I've tried to be pure. 198 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,280 I've tried to guard what I watch. 199 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,480 I've tried to be a godly person. And yet, Lord, why are there so 200 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,240 many problems in my life? But my unbelieving neighbors, my 201 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,680 friends, they don't care about you and yet they are at ease. 202 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,840 All right, so here's the answer we've been waiting for. 203 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:14,800 How do we escape this mindset? How did Asaph get out of this 204 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,680 valley that he was in, and how did he manage to deal with all 205 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:21,800 of this trouble in his mind? Look at verses 16 and 17 because 206 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,880 the answer is very simple. When I thought about how to 207 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:31,200 understand this, it was too painful for me until I went into 208 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,680 the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their final 209 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:36,280 end. So what is the answer? 210 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:41,400 How did he overcome all of this? Went into the House of God, He 211 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:45,760 went into the sanctuary of the Lord and it was there that he 212 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:47,840 got clarity. He got peace. 213 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:51,280 The ill of Oxford once said the greatest gift a man could ever 214 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,720 receive is to receive something called cubicle thinking. 215 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,400 Now when I told my wife Emma about this, she said what on 216 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,640 earth is cubicle thinking? Cubicle thinking is this just 217 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,680 like a cube has many different sides to it, so there are many 218 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:08,000 different sides to a truth. And here we find Asaph, and he's 219 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,720 only been looking at one side of the cube. 220 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,960 He's only been looking at one side of the truth, and that's 221 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:17,320 the unrighteous are doing well. They're prospering even though 222 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,880 they're doing evil. But the godly man, the godly 223 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,040 woman is struggling and going through all kinds of 224 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,760 difficulties. But when Asaph goes into the 225 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:29,160 sanctuary of God, what happens? Suddenly he sees all the sides 226 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,520 of the cube. He realizes the truth. 227 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,240 Now, this next part's a little bit important, so you might just 228 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,400 want to catch this, but one of the greatest truths in the Bible 229 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,200 is this. Your life, my life, will one day 230 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,080 end. All of us are going to die one 231 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,800 day, and we're all going to be judged by a holy God. 232 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,240 That is a vital truth that many of us forget, and it's what 233 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,160 Asaph has forgotten. Did you know that this Psalm 234 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,480 actually has a sister? And it's called Psalm 37. 235 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:59,360 And in Psalm 37, the writer says, I have seen a wicked and 236 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:03,640 ruthless man spreading himself out like a green Laurel tree. 237 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,760 In other words, this evil man, he's prospering, he's 238 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,000 successful, he's abundant, he's doing well, he has riches and 239 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,120 success, and it's spreading everywhere. 240 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:16,000 But then the psalmist goes on to say, but he passed away, and 241 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,920 behold, he was no more. Though I sought for him, he 242 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,160 could not be found. In other words, this man, he had 243 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:26,640 his time of fun, but eventually the Lord dealt with him and he 244 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:28,760 was gone. I used to work in a high school 245 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:32,120 as a classroom assistant with pupils who were aged 11 to 16 246 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:34,200 years old. And I used to ask these students 247 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,120 that I work with, what do you want to do when you grow up? 248 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:41,160 And the most common answer was I want to be a YouTube or they'd 249 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,200 say I want to be a celebrity. OK, so at the time that this 250 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,760 video is being recorded, I want to ask you, what do you think? 251 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,880 Which kind of people do you think young people aspire to be 252 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:53,760 like? Maybe I show speed. 253 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,680 Is someone the young men like or is it clavicular? 254 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,400 Clavicular, I can't say his name, and some of you are 255 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,200 cringing as I say that HS Tik Tokie or Caden Cottier, who's in 256 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,840 this country. But not that long ago, Andrew 257 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,920 Tate would probably be a name that was mentioned because in 258 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:14,200 2022 and 2023, he was the most Googled man on earth. 259 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:17,440 He had money, he had cars, he had muscles, the women, and he 260 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,680 had influence. So much influence that schools 261 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:24,160 in the UK had to run special assemblies warning their 262 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,720 students not to idolize him. And many young men, they would 263 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,600 look at that lifestyle and they would think, I'd love to live 264 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,360 like that. And to the girls who are 265 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,880 listening, maybe they look at the the actress who played 266 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,000 Barbie, Margaret Robbie, or maybe they look at Addison Ray 267 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,280 or Taylor Swift. Because these ladies, they've 268 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,960 got beauty, they've got fame, they've got money, they've got 269 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,080 success. You see all of us, we're all 270 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,760 drawn to the surface of these lifestyles. 271 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:51,600 We look at the beginning, but we rarely ask, how does this life, 272 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,800 how will it end? So I'm going to give you 2 273 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,480 examples. And I will not be surprised if 274 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,360 you've never heard of these two celebrities, especially if you 275 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,680 are in Genz, because they were certainly around before your 276 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:04,600 time. But as you can imagine, I needed 277 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,120 examples of celebrities that we can watch. 278 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,400 How did they end? The first one is Jack Nicholson. 279 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,520 Jack Nicholson was an amazing actor, full of charisma, 280 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,240 charming, rich, famous. He won an Oscar for One Flew 281 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:20,080 Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and not only that, he makes claims that 282 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:24,640 he had 2000 lovers, 2000 women. That was his claim. 283 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:27,600 Now, many men would look at Jack Nicholson's life and think, I 284 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,160 would give anything to have his life. 285 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,480 I'd love to have all of that money, all of the girls, all of 286 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,720 that fame. Those things would make me so 287 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,560 happy. But here's the big question, how 288 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:41,040 did Jack Nicholson an end? In an interview in 2014 at age 289 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,880 77, Jack Nicholson said I regret florandering around when I was 290 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:49,800 younger because now no woman will trust me and I'm terrified 291 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,480 of dying in the house on my own. So in other words, this very 292 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,840 lifestyle that people envied of him had actually been the life 293 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,720 that he'd regretted living. OK #2 Elizabeth Taylor. 294 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,120 Now I'll be very surprised if the teenagers and 20 year olds 295 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,320 have heard of her name before. Let me know in the comments if 296 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,920 you have. In the 1950s, she was rich, she 297 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,880 was famous, she was beautiful, and she had all of Hollywood 298 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:13,360 doting over her. Why? 299 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:15,960 Because all the men thought she was just so beautiful. 300 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:17,840 Elizabeth Taylor. When we look at her life, she 301 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,200 had a great beginning, but still the question needs to be asked, 302 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,480 how did she end? Well, when her looks began to 303 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,040 fade, like happens to all of us, when she began to gain weight 304 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:31,840 and get wrinkles, suddenly Hollywood gave her career over 305 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,800 to the younger models, to the younger crop, if you like, to 306 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:38,360 Jane Fonda, to Julie Christie, because casting directors and 307 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:40,160 the viewers just became bored of her. 308 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:42,360 But here's the saddest part. Do you know what Elizabeth 309 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,120 Taylor was most famous for? Do you know how many marriages 310 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:46,600 she had? Did she have one? 311 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:48,320 No 234? No. 312 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:53,640 After 8 marriages, did Elizabeth Taylor ever find true love? 313 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:55,920 No. She spent most of her life on 314 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,600 medicated things, just trying to keep herself going because if 315 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,680 she was honest with herself, in her very epicenter, there was an 316 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:06,680 unspeakable sadness, an emptiness. 317 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:11,200 Eventually, she died completely alone, with no husband, at 79 318 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,120 years old. Totally broken. 319 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:14,960 But does the media portray that? No. 320 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,680 Do we ever see these kinds of things on the highlight reels on 321 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:18,920 Instagram? No. 322 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,560 Does the world show us what a life rebelling against God? 323 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:24,800 Does it show us how it will really end? 324 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,120 No, and it certainly doesn't show us that death and 325 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,600 destruction come to all those who reject the living God. 326 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,480 My dear friends, never forget this warning from the Bible. 327 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,840 The way of the Sinner is hard. It's not an easy life to live a 328 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,400 lifestyle of sin. It might look enticing on the 329 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,920 surface, but in the end, it's far harder to be a rebellious 330 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,520 Sinner against a holy God than to live a life of obedience to 331 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,760 the same God. So I beg you, please, please 332 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,480 never forget this. The death of the ungodly is a 333 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,160 terrible thing. Imagine all of that unrest, all 334 00:16:58,160 --> 00:16:59,880 of that misery, all of that regret. 335 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,520 And what comfort do these people have when they come to the end 336 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,319 of their life? What hope do they have in the 337 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:07,160 future? The only comfort they have is a 338 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,920 handful of memories, memories of the past they can barely 339 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,400 remember. That's all they have to comfort 340 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:15,839 them. But now contrast that with the 341 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:18,880 life of the believer. On the surface, it looks narrow. 342 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,760 It looks boring. The men and women of the world, 343 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:22,960 they laugh at us. They say, you really believe 344 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:25,880 this storybook. You go to church every single 345 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,000 Sunday. You give up your holidays to do 346 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,480 missions and things like that. What a boring way to live. 347 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,800 But the question needs to be asked, how do we end Oscar 348 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:36,560 Wilde? Have you heard that name before? 349 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,520 Well, he was a very famous writer, and let's just say he 350 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:43,240 was a very evil man, very sinful, very prideful. 351 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,240 He mocked Christians and encouraged others to mock the 352 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:48,200 Bible with him. And yet there's something that 353 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,680 many people don't realize about Oscar Wilde. 354 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:54,440 On his deathbed, he asked for a minister to come and convert 355 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,080 him, Balaam from the Bible. You know, Balaam, that godless 356 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:58,440 prophet, Do you know what he said? 357 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:03,080 He said let me die the death of the righteous and let my end be 358 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:05,480 like his. In other words, he could see 359 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,360 that the man or the woman of God, he sees that they die 360 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,120 peacefully, but the unbeliever, they do not. 361 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:15,000 And as every man's life draws to a close, I think we all have to 362 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,680 ask this very question. Who truly prospers? 363 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:20,800 Is it the wicked or is it the godly? 364 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:24,000 Well, I think the famous evangelist John Wesley has our 365 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,040 answer. Speaking about Christians that 366 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,560 he's watched time and time again step into eternity, He once 367 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,960 said, our people die well. So young Christian or older 368 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:38,240 Christian, never forget this. You are on the winning side. 369 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:40,840 I also want to say this for anyone who's been sitting here 370 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,240 thinking throughout this whole message, but Joe, it is a real 371 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,800 joy to be a Christian. Well, you're absolutely right. 372 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,440 There is nothing greater in the world than knowing that the 373 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:54,680 living God who made me, who made the universe, he speaks to me 374 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,280 through his words. There is no greater joy than 375 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,360 praying when you have nowhere else to go, nowhere to run, and 376 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:02,800 yet God hears you when you cry out to him. 377 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,640 There is no greater joy than knowing that my sins, all of 378 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,520 them past, present and future, have been nailed to that cross. 379 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,840 I have no guilt anymore, no shame, because Jesus took my 380 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:16,160 shame on the cross. And there is no greater joy than 381 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,240 having fellowship with other Christians, than having a peace, 382 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,520 having a mission, having this beautiful task of sharing the 383 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,400 gospel with others. It is a great life being a 384 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,480 Christian. But if you're not a Christian, 385 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,280 what would I say to you? I would say this. 386 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:33,880 You might look good now, but how will you end? 387 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:36,720 Have you ever thought I'll become a Christian when I'm 388 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,720 older? Once I've had some fun, once 389 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,880 I've done all that I want to do, once I've lived my life, then 390 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,120 I'll become a Christian. Friends, for many people, at the 391 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:48,200 very end of their life, their faculties have gone. 392 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,280 You might be lying on a hospital bed alive, but you're not with 393 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:53,680 it anymore. And not only that, right now, as 394 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,280 a young person, your heart is so tender to God. 395 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:00,400 You will never have a more tender heart to God than you 396 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,560 have right now in your youth. Why? 397 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,800 Because as you go on in life. Sin hardens your heart and the 398 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:10,040 Bible warns us that we should not be hardened by the 399 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:13,400 deceitfulness of sin because your conscience, it does get 400 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,680 duller with age, sadly. So, my dear friend, come to him 401 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,000 right now, whilst you can hear His voice calling to you before 402 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,240 the time of spiritual hearing loss sets in. 403 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:24,920 Come to Him right now. Come to the One who died on that 404 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:26,840 cross. For all of our waywardness, for 405 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:30,280 all of our sin, for all the times he failed God, He died in 406 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,320 our place so that we could have our sins washed away. 407 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,640 Trust in Him, Him, trust in the one who rose from the dead, 408 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,600 because He is the way, He is the truth. 409 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,720 He is the life, and He gives every Christian a glorious 410 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:42,680 future. Yes. 411 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,000 So okay, right now as a young Christian, your life might be 412 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,680 very tough, but I don't want anyone to forget this one key 413 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,240 fact. You are on the winning side. 414 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,840 And friends, I do believe for many of you, these dark thoughts 415 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,880 will come like they came to me. And if that's you, I want you to 416 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,240 remember this Bible study of Psalm 73, and I want you to 417 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,840 learn it off by heart. OK, before you go, one more 418 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,240 thing. I showed you celebrities who 419 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,560 ended very badly, and some of them I imagine you'd never heard 420 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,360 of. But what about the world's most 421 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:16,280 famous preacher who in my opinion, he ended very well. 422 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,840 Have you heard of this preacher? Well, go and check out this 423 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:22,160 video right now and tell me on the other side if you do know 424 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:23,000 who he is, yes.