1 00:00:01,740 --> 00:00:05,360 Well, I'm sad today, friends, because I just 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,180 got the news of the death of a 3 00:00:08,180 --> 00:00:11,380 21-year-old boy, whom I knew since 4 00:00:11,380 --> 00:00:12,700 he was a young teenager. 5 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,800 He grew up in church and went to 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,620 a private Christian school, and he died of 7 00:00:18,620 --> 00:00:19,500 a drug overdose. 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,380 My heart breaks, my heart bleeds for his 9 00:00:23,380 --> 00:00:26,980 family, and my heart grieves for this generation 10 00:00:26,980 --> 00:00:29,760 of young people today who grew up in 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,500 church and post pictures of themselves on their 12 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:37,640 media sites hugging their homosexual lover or their 13 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:41,000 live-in girlfriend as they're smoking their blunts 14 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,100 and flipping off the world. 15 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,960 I'm saddened by this lost generation of church 16 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,120 kids that slipped out of our grasp and 17 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,640 out of our church door while still being 18 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,680 on the membership roll, but without ever having 19 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,240 their name written in the Lamb's Book of 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,740 Life in our churches today. 21 00:01:01,180 --> 00:01:04,740 Our kids don't need a denominational program. 22 00:01:05,300 --> 00:01:08,420 Our kids don't need pizza night and movie 23 00:01:08,420 --> 00:01:09,000 night. 24 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:12,640 Our kids don't need loud rock music or 25 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,700 laughter or entertainment. 26 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:16,700 Our kids need Jesus. 27 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,960 We gave them substitutes, everything they wanted, but 28 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:23,900 we didn't give them what they needed. 29 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:25,440 They needed Jesus. 30 00:01:26,260 --> 00:01:29,260 So instead of having Jesus, they have turned 31 00:01:29,260 --> 00:01:32,840 to this world and its enjoyments, and they've 32 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,760 gone to the devil as quick as they 33 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:35,320 could. 34 00:01:35,740 --> 00:01:38,760 They left our churches that they grew up 35 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,340 in, have gone into a Christ-hating world 36 00:01:42,340 --> 00:01:45,400 without knowing the Christ of the Bible. 37 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,080 We gave them a shot in the arm 38 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:53,080 of our so-called religion and inoculated them 39 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,080 against the claims of Christ upon them. 40 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,260 Our kids need Jesus. 41 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,800 They need the Jesus of the Bible who 42 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,260 can take a heart of stone and make 43 00:02:04,260 --> 00:02:06,960 it a heart of flesh and transform a 44 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,400 life for the glory of God. 45 00:02:10,860 --> 00:02:13,780 Our kids don't need to repeat a prayer. 46 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,040 Our kids don't need to walk an aisle 47 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:17,300 or to make a decision. 48 00:02:17,900 --> 00:02:20,500 They've all already done that a long time 49 00:02:20,500 --> 00:02:22,460 ago, and that's the problem. 50 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,460 We watched them grow up in vocation Bible 51 00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:29,540 school, and we watched them learn Bible verses 52 00:02:29,540 --> 00:02:30,800 in Sunday school. 53 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,460 We talked them into swallowing a formula that 54 00:02:34,460 --> 00:02:38,100 we thought was evangelism and told them they 55 00:02:38,100 --> 00:02:40,980 were now Christians, and they grew up being 56 00:02:40,980 --> 00:02:44,540 familiar faces at church, but strangers to Christ 57 00:02:44,540 --> 00:02:47,480 Jesus as their Savior from sin. 58 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:49,360 Our kids need Jesus. 59 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,220 Even though they're not kids anymore, they still 60 00:02:53,220 --> 00:02:54,020 need Jesus. 61 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,120 What can we do now as parents when 62 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,420 we missed our chances to mold them for 63 00:03:01,420 --> 00:03:04,440 Christ when we told them, Do as I 64 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,700 say rather than lead them. 65 00:03:07,060 --> 00:03:09,460 We're the do-as-I-do godly example 66 00:03:09,460 --> 00:03:10,400 in the home. 67 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,120 Is it too late now? 68 00:03:12,380 --> 00:03:14,200 Have they all gone to the devil? 69 00:03:14,900 --> 00:03:17,340 Sadly, many of them have. 70 00:03:17,740 --> 00:03:19,660 Oh, what can we do for our kids 71 00:03:19,660 --> 00:03:23,720 is to turn off our TV and go 72 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,400 into the next room and get down on 73 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,060 our faces and stay there until the carpet 74 00:03:30,060 --> 00:03:32,920 is wet with our tears and God has 75 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:37,080 heard our broken-hearted petitions unto him over 76 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,100 the sake of our kids' souls. 77 00:03:39,540 --> 00:03:41,880 Never give up praying for a loved one, 78 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,320 friend, for there is no expiration of a 79 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,340 prayer, for a prayer once made has wings, 80 00:03:49,740 --> 00:03:52,320 a life, and a force that reach far 81 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:56,060 into the future and into eternity, all for 82 00:03:56,060 --> 00:03:57,380 the glory of God. 83 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,540 Our kids need Jesus, and we need to 84 00:04:00,540 --> 00:04:04,660 spend more time in intercession and prayer for 85 00:04:04,660 --> 00:04:05,140 them. 86 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,320 We need to change our prayers somewhat and 87 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,560 quit praying for our kids to stop their 88 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,020 backsliding and come back to the Lord. 89 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,459 Instead, we should pray for the Lord to 90 00:04:16,459 --> 00:04:17,339 save them. 91 00:04:17,940 --> 00:04:22,020 My Bible declares in John 3.36, He 92 00:04:22,020 --> 00:04:26,160 that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, 93 00:04:26,660 --> 00:04:29,480 and he that believeth not the Son shall 94 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,740 not see life, but the wrath of God 95 00:04:32,740 --> 00:04:34,500 abideth on him. 96 00:04:34,940 --> 00:04:37,620 This is a serious matter, friends. 97 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:39,280 The hour is late. 98 00:04:39,780 --> 00:04:43,260 This generation of young folks today don't give 99 00:04:43,260 --> 00:04:44,880 a flip about your Jesus. 100 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,860 Nevertheless, our kids need Jesus. 101 00:04:49,340 --> 00:04:50,780 Let us pray.