John K. Jenkins Sr - Wise Words to the Next Generation

I want to talk to the young people. Let me see where the young people are. Raise your hand, young people! Some of you are delusional, but that’s okay. If I were to put a title to this message, it would be «Wise Words to the Next Generation.» Somebody say, «Wise Words to the Next Generation!» I want to talk to the Next Generation; I want you to hear me and listen to the counsel of the Scriptures, which gives us clarity and specific direction for our lives. Now, I want the young people to listen. Turn your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 30; Proverbs chapter 30. The Book of Proverbs is considered a book of wisdom. Solomon writes the Book of Proverbs, which contains nuggets of truth, wisdom, and insight. There are no stories told in it; it just unloads verse after verse of wisdom and insight about how to live your life, the choices that you make, and the warnings it gives.

But when we get to chapter 30, a shift takes place because a gentleman named Agur writes it. It’s not Solomon anymore; it’s a new writer. We don’t know much about the person who wrote chapter 30, but what he has to say is profound and significant. I thought we ought to spend a few moments talking about it, and that’s what I want to do today-to talk to the young people and challenge you. By the time he gets to verse 11, he begins to identify a problem. Somebody say «problem.» He identifies a problem, saying in verse 11, «There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.» There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation-oh, how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up! There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose fangs are like knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men.

These verses 11-14 warn and speak to this next generation. What is the problem he has identified? He is identifying several problems. The first problem he identifies is the spirit or attitude of rebelliousness. Somebody in your row has been rebellious in their lives! Go ahead, look up and down the row and see if you can figure out who it is. Did you all figure out who it is? Go ahead and write their name down in your notes: «We know who it is .» I want to talk to you, young people, because you have a great future ahead of you. I’ve been talking about purpose for the past few weeks- purpose and fulfilling purpose, reaching your assignment for God. Everyone has a purpose, and you want to identify what your purpose is in life.

But the enemy’s goal is to get you off track, off course, and doing something other than what God wants you to do. One way he achieves this is by trying to put you in a posture of rebellion, and that’s what he talks about here. He states that there is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. That 's a problem-when you can’t listen to your parents. As a matter of fact, let me go ahead and put all of this together. Verse 11 talks about rebellion, while verses 12-13 talk about arrogance. Verse 12 says, «And there is a generation that is pure in its own eyes yet is not washed from its filthiness.» There is a generation-oh, how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up! There is a generation who thinks they know more than their parents. I feel the claps get lower and lower. This is significant for the young people.

I need you to understand this because the enemy wants to get you off track, pull you off course, and place you in a situation where a lot of parents-wait, hold on. Let me slow down for a second. Somebody say «Take your time, pastor.» Let me take my time. Y’all know I have six kids, and all six of my kids, at some point in their lives, reached the stage where they started «smelling themselves.» Am I the only one who has had kids like that? Okay, now, you know I have these six kids. If we had had Jimmy first, there would be no other kids. He was the most strong-willed, determined kid, going to do what he wanted to do regardless of what his mom and dad told him. Thank the Lord, God has delivered him from that attitude!

Growing up, it was a tussle with that young man. Now, if Natalie, our youngest daughter, had been born first, we might have had 20 kids; she was the most wholesome of all our kids, the most godly. I think about how many ways she demonstrated godliness. We went to Sea World once while we were down in Florida on a family vacation. We arrived at Sea World around five o’clock in the evening. I went to the counter, and the tickets were like a hundred dollars. I thought, «A hundred dollars? Whatever the tickets cost…»