And I want to just say a couple of thank yous before I begin the message. You can take your Bibles and turn to Romans 8. And then while you're turning there, I want to speak just quickly. And I want to be mindful of the clock tonight. I know that you have a lot to do before bedtime. And then there's packing and testimonies and campfire. And I realize that this camp is for you, and I want to be mindful of that. So I'll try to be mindful of the clock. But I do want to thank the churches that are here. Lehigh Valley Baptist, I want to thank Pastor Roland and Pastor Gable for the invitation. For Pastor Perks and Victory Baptist. And even though Miss Kate outshot me on the rifle range, They call her Miss Kate Annie Oakley Perks. That's what they call her now. And I don't know what happened with the judging, but that church is represented well. Hannah Braun, where's Hannah? Okay. I walked by your sheet, and now I'm a 38-year-old man. That was a shame. How old are you? sixteen-year-old girl every one of her shots were in the black and then they got maria zerillo down here michael what local and i need to practice apparently but uh... but i want to thank pastor perks and uh... for your young to allow your young people to come down and and for the invitation you you gave me my dad uh... pastor fryman uh... cornerstone teens I don't take it lightly that I was invited, and I know that I was handed a great privilege to be able to have access to your young people as often as I was this week. I pray that it was a blessing to them. I do. And I want to thank, most of all, I want to thank you young people. You have encouraged me this week a great deal. When I was a young person, if they would have asked for volunteers for a camp choir, there would not have been the majority of the campers up on the platform uh... when i listen to you sing and observe you from the back and i think that there are future husbands and wives and church members and contributions to the lord's churches it is an overwhelming thought and i want to tell you i know i don't know everyone individually but i can tell you before the lord that i love you and that i have promised to pray maybe not by your name but i promise to continue to pray for you thank you for your good spirit the participation, the enthusiasm, the songs, all that. You guys have had just such a great spirit, and thank you for that. And also thank you, and I'm thanking you in advance tonight, for your attentiveness during the preaching. I know sometimes you've done a whole day, and then the pastor gets up there, and he goes for an hour, and you're thinking, PayPal, it's 8.30 at night. maybe not a pal but you might be thinking hey brother it's eight thirty at night but i really really appreciate your tenderness and so uh... with that uh... let's go on the last uh... message and over the chris prayed i wanna pray one more time and then we'll get into the message of father in heaven we do thank you for the wonderful privilege we have to open up your word And Father, Brother Chris just said that you don't have to speak to us. You've given us revelation through your creation, and you've given us your revelation through your written Word, and we are a grateful people. I pray that as these young people look at the verses this evening, they would realize that it is not just a religious book. These are the words that you wanted on the pages of their Bible. I pray that I would speak to them. I pray that you would speak to their hearts. And I pray, Lord, that if there are any here tonight that are not saved, I pray that tonight would be the night they realize their conditions, the reality of their condition. And I pray they'd turn to You and understand the wonderful privilege of having Your Son as Savior and Your Spirit in their life. Father, I pray for the saved tonight. I pray that You'd allow them to make serious commitments. that they would be mindful of the decisions that we made tonight and the impact that's going to have on the future of their life. I pray, Lord, that we would do all things pleasing to You. And Father, more than the young people responding, that's our desire, is to please You in all that we do. We commit the service now to You. We ask for Your help. And I ask for Your help, Lord, as I preach. I ask these things in Jesus' name, Amen. Don't ever, ever, ever take for granted that we get to pray in Jesus' name. That's a great privilege. It's why we can pray. Amen. We praise the Lord for that. Romans chapter 8. We read these verses a couple days ago, a few nights ago. Verse 5 says, "...for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Period. Now here's what I love about that verse. It's simple. And here's why that's important. Because Paul doesn't need another two chapters to explain to us why we don't want a carnal mind. He thinks, by inspiration, having been moved by the Holy Ghost, that one thought will ring in their hearts, and that will be enough to make them realize, we don't want a carnal mind. And here's what it is. Hey, they that are in the flesh can't please God. That's it. There's an anticipation that when we hear, hey, if we do that, you're not going to please God, that that will be so serious in our hearts and our minds that we're going to take action. Because the rest of the chapter, he now encourages us how we can make sure we don't walk in the flesh and walk in the Spirit. The confidence we have because of our relationship with God. No condemnation by the time you get to the end of chapter 8. And here's why I love that. Because when I'm going to preach to young people when they ought to be thinking right, and we know it's when. Now. And we know what thinking right looks like. It wasn't an exhaustive message last night, that's for sure. But hopefully there was enough there last night that gave you enough to say, you know what? I do want to think on things that are true and honest and lovely and pure and have a good report. I'm going to go back home and I'm going to study out what else I can think on. But here's why I love simple statements like v. 8. Because when I get to the why of why you should be thinking right, here it is. Because it pleases God. And you shouldn't need any other reason to think right than just that. After all the Lord has done for us, after all He's given us, after all He has allowed us to be brought through, the thought The thought that you and I could please God, that oughta overwhelm us. You wanna know why you oughta think right? Because it pleases God, that's why. Now, how many of you, and we're gonna have to do this tonight, help me get your participation. And if you did this, I want you to stand up, all right? How many of you packed your own bags, stand up, for camp? Wow, very good, that's good. All right, how many of you pack sunglasses, keep standing up? How many packed water skis, keep standing up? Just checking. How many of you packed sandals? Or flip flops, whatever you call them. I saw the wheels turning on these young men's faces up here. How many of you packed a cell phone? I hope these are all counselors because I think that... All right. How many of you... You can be seated. How many of you had your bags packed before you left? Hopefully that's everybody. All right? How many of you pack scarves, winter scarves? Hold on a second. You're telling me you packed sunglasses and flip flops, but you didn't pack winter scarves? Yes, you're right. How many pack clothespins? There you go. All right. Very good. Why didn't you pack a winter scarf? Someone tell me. Oh, because it's hot. Okay, alright. So you're telling me that in your mind, your thought process, here's what you went through. I'm going to camp, and I know what it's like at camp, and so I know what I'm going to be bringing. Right? Is that a fair statement? Okay. How many are going to heaven? Raise your hand. What are you preparing for your trip? What are you packing up? What are you preparing for? If you know that heaven is a holy place, and you know that you're going to be with your Savior, and you want to be like, at least this is the desire, like the Apostle Paul. You know what he said? He told Timothy, he said, on the face it looks arrogant. Matter of fact, let's turn there and let's look at it. I don't want to misquote it. Turn to 2 Timothy, if you would please, with me. 2 Timothy. Chapter 4. And I want you to see verse 6. Paul says, for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only. And if you're listening to Pastor Rowan's message this morning, this verse talks about it. He talked about the hope that we have that one day we're gonna see the Lord. Look how we're described here. But unto all them also that love his appearing. You think you'll love the appearing of the Lord? Here's what Paul said, this isn't just for me. Now, this is good, young people. What the Apostle Paul did not say is, well, Timothy, I'm almost dead, I'm gonna die, I know it's the end of my line. I sure hope that all the good things I did made up for all the bad things I did. Did he say that? No. Because he believed what he had written to the church at Corinth. That if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. And old things are passed away, and all things are become new. It's like being born again. It's a whole new life. And he lived his life for the Lord. for the glory of God. And do you know what he knew about when he would see the Lord? That the Lord would be happy. You were not saved just to go to heaven. You were saved to allow you to be brought back into a relationship with God to do that which God originally created man to do. Adam and Eve. What was their purpose? They got to fellowship with God. Think about that. They got to fellowship with the Lord. Then they sinned. They lost the garden, as it was talked about. There's things they lost because they sinned. But when they were forgiven, and when they were, what we would say, made right with God, there were some things they got back. They didn't get the garden back, but they did get fellowship back. And when you get saved, it's not just to go to heaven. As a matter of fact, John chapter 3 verse 16, For God's love of the world He gave His only begotten Son, Whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's why I get saved, to have everlasting life. Keep reading. Because the last verse of Jesus' conversation says that those of us that are in truth, those of us that walk in the light, we love the light because it reveals the works that we have done. And here's how Jesus says it, that they are wrought of God. It means that we can say, all that I have done, all that I'm giving an account for, all the rewards that I will be receiving, I couldn't do that without the Lord. It was wrought of God. This was because of the Lord. And do you know what the Lord takes pleasure in? Praise. Praise. Prayer. And when you have young people that are thinking right, and you realize that thinking right isn't just about me living a better life. It's about pleasing God. Because young person, please understand this. It ain't all about you. It's about God. One of the most common arguments I get out on the island, and I'm sure you get it especially with your ministry at Lehigh University perhaps, If God was really a loving God, then why did He create sin? You ever heard that before? Why did He allow sin? If He was so perfect, and if He said, oh, everything is good, then why do we have Lucifer? Why do we have Satan? And I gotta tell you, I'm not a great theologian, but I think the answer's pretty clear when you read your Bible. You know why? I mean, maybe these other pastors can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm just saying, from a study of the Scriptures, how God reveals Himself, here's what I see. I see a created being called man. And I see angels. And I see the angels fallen. And I see the angels not given a second chance. I see those angels desiring to look into the things of salvation for man. You know why I think they desire? Because what's different? Two-thirds of the angels saw Lucifer fall and take a third of the angels with them. And then man does the same thing. Man disobeys, man rebels, but yet God goes looking for man. He knew where man was, but the angels see love. And so God finds Adam and offers, not offers, but gives them the chance to be right with him. He covers their sins with the blood. I know you know all about that. And suddenly you begin to see the picture more clearly. That God allowing, that's an important word by the way, God allowing the drama that we call life to take place enables him to be given glory for more things than he would have been otherwise. What I mean by that is if God had never allowed sin, then we would never know what love feels like. We would never know what it really means to be forgiven. We wouldn't know how to praise God for long suffering and patience. We wouldn't know what grace is. We wouldn't know what mercy is. We would have no concept of salvation. But we do, in spite of sin. God showed His power. And He allowed this drama that we call life to be carried out so that we can now give God glory for things that not even the angels can give Him glory for. Think about that. For eternity, we get to praise Him for things that not even the angels can praise Him for. One of my favorite verses in the book of Revelation is in Revelation 5. John is observing this scene. And here's what he says. The setting is heaven. And here's what John says. They sung a new song. Now, what does new mean? New means not happened before. How could it be that a God who is eternal has allowed Himself to be in a setting where something new takes place? And so I want to know, well, what's the new thing? What is such a big deal that in heaven it's considered new? And do you know what the song is? It's a song that the angels can't sing. Here's what it is. It's, Thou art worthy. Speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou art worthy, the Lamb that was slain, to open the book, but then we get to sing why He's worthy. For Thou hast redeemed us. No angel can sing that. But we can. If we're saved, we get to sing the new song in heaven. Thou hast redeemed us by Thy blood out of every kindred, tribe, tongue, nation. That's a blessing. In short, it's about God. You say, well, why did God allow that? You want to know why God allowed it? Because He gets glory out of it, that's why. And that's not appealing to our pride. We like everything about us, but it's not about us. And if my suffering through life here enables me to live with the Lord eternally and give Him glory, then so be it. And I'm sorry for the tragedies that happen in the world. I don't like it when my daughters get sick, when my daughters hurt. I wish we lived in a perfect world, but we don't. But I do know why God has allowed it. Because He will get glory out of it somehow in some way. And He has allowed us the privilege of being part of that. Now what does that have to do with thinking right? That has to do with you thinking right about the world. It's about God. And when you realize that, you realize that thinking right is not just about me having a better life. It's about pleasing God. In Romans chapter 8 verse 8 it says that they in the flesh cannot please God. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6, without faith it is impossible to what? Please God. For they that come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. In Hebrews chapter 13 verses 14 through 16 it talks about these sacrifices that they please God. Over and over and over again you see a theme that we ought to be pleasing God with our lives. But then there are things that don't please God. And those are things we don't want in our life. And oftentimes we think, or not we, but others think about God, that He's a taskmaster. How could He be like that? How could He be so unloving to send people to hell? But listen to me, young people. The Bible says in Ezekiel, not just in chapter 18, Ezekiel 33, verse 11, that God said, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. And I began praying about this, and I realized that there's this great contrast in the room tonight. That there are those that have the ability to leave here and please God. And then there are those that are not saved. And they have no ability to please God. None. Because not even in their death, not even them being sent to hell, and God being glorified for His righteousness and His holiness and His eternal consistency, but He finds no pleasure in that. You follow that? You understand that? Like God's glory will be revealed, but He doesn't find pleasure in that. So here's my question as a created being, why wouldn't you want to please God? Why wouldn't you want to please God? And so I ask myself these questions. You young people, you're not pagans. You know the truth. Why is it that people who know the truth but can still reject Christ? This is nothing new. Matter of fact, let me ask you this. We're all mostly adults in here. We know the sin-sick world we live in. Let me ask you a question. What's the worst sin you could think of right now? Someone raise your hand and tell me. What's the worst sin? You think, man, how wicked our world is. This is probably the most, this vile, wicked sin. What would it be? Yeah. Murder. Okay. What's another one? Anybody else? Yes. Stealing. Okay. Yes. What's that? What's that? I'm sorry, bud. Pride. Okay. Very good. What's another one? Just a vile sin. Yes. I'm sorry. Suicide bombing. Okay. Very good. That would go with murder. What about, think about our culture. Think about what's just vile. Yes. Immorality. Yes. Yeah. Abuse against children. Okay. Anybody else? Yes. Homosexuality. That's rampant in our society. Okay. Yes. Spirit worship. Very good. These are the bad sins, right? I mean, we know sin's bad, but these are the bad ones, right? Well, here's the reality. Jesus said, not really. Because Jesus looked at a place called Capernaum, who had had the privilege of his attendance in their town, their area, his miracles, his preaching. And do you know what he said about Capernaum? It will be more tolerable for Sodom than for you. Now, you know what tolerable means, right? Here's what he was saying. By the way, did Jesus ever embellish? Did Jesus ever exaggerate? Did Jesus ever say, Peter, I shouldn't have said that. That was too much. I went too far that time. Did he ever say that? Did Jesus always say the right thing? So when Jesus said, it's going to be worse for the people who heard the truth and did nothing with it than for the homos, guess what? He meant it. Here's what he said, he goes, if the works that were done here had been done there, they would have repented long ago. Now think about that. Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Gomorrah, if given the opportunities Capernaum had, they would have got right. What does that say about those who can sit under preaching week after week and yet continue to say, ah, not right now? It will be more tolerable. So here's the question, why does that happen? The Bible, which always has the answer, tells us. Now we know that the reason we ought to think right is because it praises God. The Bible says in Proverbs 14, verse 12, and don't turn there for time's sake, but I want you to get this. When you ask yourself, why is it that young people, will still be lost. Because the Bible says in Proverbs 14, verse 12, there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. And here's where it connects to our thinking right theme. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man. It looks right. Two chapters later, the Holy Ghost moves the wisest man that ever walked the earth to write the exact same thing. It's not said once, it's repeated. In Proverbs 16, verse 25, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Here's what this verse means, right? There's a way, singular, that seems right, but the end thereof are the ways, plural, of death. Here's the interpretation. There's a way of life that seems okay to a man. But the end thereof shows that those ways, those individual decisions that they made throughout their life, lead to death. You will never prosper by going against God's Word. It never happens. It can't. God may allow you grace. He may allow you longsuffering. I've lived it. I've experienced it. And I praise Him for it. But He never, ever, ever, ever, ever will let it go. He will either do what He said in Romans 1. He will turn you over to the lust of your heart. Or, by His great, wonderful, marvelous grace, He will continue to convict you. And then you finally see yourself before Him. But I want to zero in on four things tonight, quickly, about this verse. There is a way of life that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. If you don't think right, not only are you not going to please God, but you're going to die and you're going to go to hell if you're not saved. Now, there's application. If you're saved tonight, I want you to listen. There's application for you too. There always is. That's what I love about the Bible. It's so deep. It's got layers. Amen? You can never outstudy the Scriptures. That's a wonderful thing. The first thing we learn tonight about this verse, okay, is that things are not always as they appear to be. Things are not always as they appear to be. I don't need to spend a lot of time on this because Pastor Roland did an excellent job this morning. And that illustration that he gave about the Oreos, I know we laughed about that. It was a perfect illustration for what the devil does. Because the devil is a master at advertising. But he is horrible at the follow through. Because he never ever gives you what he promises he's going to. He is an expert at making the package look great and appealing and wonderful. As a matter of fact, here's how the Apostle Paul said it. He will appear as an angel of light. Man, this is good, this is right, but it ain't. That's Ohio talk for it's not. It's not. Things are not always as they seem to be. That's why you need the Bible. That's why you need godly people in your lives. That's why you need truth. You need the scriptures. But number two, things are not always as they seem to be. And by the way, if you think that that's not true, ask Adam and Eve. Amen? Well, it's not a big deal. It's not a big deal. And what did Adam do? And if you get this, guys, this is important, because you're going to get married one day, and this is important. I mean, not to embarrass Jen at all, I think all the husbands here who are put in a position to lead your home, this is part of it, right? Adam made Adam and Eve more important than Adam and God. I love my wife, but not more than I love the Lord. The reason I have a wonderful woman like that is because of the Lord. And I can't ever forget that. And if I'm not loyal to Him, I will lose the one who gave me her. So it does me no good to put her first. I have to put the Lord first. By the way, ladies, the same thing with you. If you have a guy who is trying to win your affection, but he's not even what he's supposed to be at church or in his family, he's not worth it. And here's why. If he's not willing to submit to his role as a son, or as a church member, he's not going to do it as a husband. He's proving, by his lifestyle, that he's not willing to submit to what God says he should be doing. So, he's not trustworthy. Don't be Twitterpated. Alright? Things aren't always what they appear to be. And Adam made Adam and Eve more important than Adam and God, and what happened? They sinned, they fell, and the world is in the situation it's in now. 2. Not only are things not always as they seem to be, but 2. Man does not set the standard. There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but what does God say? I want you to quickly go with me to 1 Kings 13. 1 Kings 13. Man does not set the standard. God does. Man does not set the standard. God does. 1 Kings 13. The Bible says in verse 11, you know what, if you're not there, just listen, okay? Because that clock's moving faster than I am, all right? The Bible says, Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel, the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they also told their father. And their father sends them out after the young man. The Bible says that in verse 14, they went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak and said unto him, Art thou the man of God that came from Judah? And he said, I am. And then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee, neither will I eat bread, nor drink water with thee in this place. You think, how rude! But notice why. For, that word means because. Because, for, it was said to me by the word of the Lord. Do you have a word of God today? Where is it? There you go. You also have things that are said to you by the Word of God. But notice the reaction. The Word of God, thou shalt not eat bread, drink water. Verse 18, He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art. Hey, good news! You're a man of God? So am I. Let me tell you what you're going to find. When people find out you're a Christian, they're going to go, me too. I'm a Christian also. And I know that you say you have to do this, do that, not do that, not do that. If you have a chapter and verse for why you have your conviction, And just because another person who says they're a Christian lives a different way, it does not make it right. The other man was wrong. The Word of the Lord was right. And you're going to find this in your life, that it will seem right to you, Look at them. They must be Christians. They go to church. They have Bibles. Obviously something's going right. Surely they would not lead me wrong. No, they might not lead you wrong, but the devil behind them will. You heard a great message this morning. That there are men that are used to spoil you through vain deceit. That was such a great point. Empty lies. You have to be careful about people who try to bring you down instead of try to build you up. Now, I'm not saying everyone has to be like me. My wife and I, not everyone in our church is just like we are. The Bible doesn't teach that, but there are some things that are important and that are doctrine and that matter. And let me tell you, young person who's not saved, I don't know who you are, but I know there are some here tonight. Do not listen to what other people say salvation is. You listen to what God says it is in your Bible. And if God says that salvation is for sinners, then that means you've got to admit you're a sinner. Otherwise, you're never going to be saved. And if it says through repentance and faith, that means this, that doesn't mean you have to work, right? You don't have to prove to Pastor Roland or Pastor Perks or Pastor Freiman or to me how repentant you are. I mean, I'm really, really, really sincere. I really, really... You don't have to prove that to me. You have to pray to God. God knows your heart. Turn to God through faith in Christ. That's what salvation is. But here's what it means. It means you've been rescued. You've been saved from yourself and from your sin. Not to live any old way you want, but to live a life pleasing to the Lord. That's why we have been saved. We can do what Jesus did when He was on earth. What Pastor Roland preached this morning, Here's what he said. Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, the pride of life. All three things tempted with the Lord in the wilderness. All three of them. And the Lord answered them with Scripture, and here's why. He was not here to magnify Himself. He was here to do the will of the Father. And you know what the will of God for you is? It's to please Him. It's to obey Him. It's to serve Him. You can't do that if you're lost. And so you cannot look. What happened to this young man? Well, the young man, he went back. The Bible says he went back, he did eat bread and he drank water. And it came to pass. Let me tell you, young person. Please, please understand this. That when the Bible says something will come to pass, it will always come to pass. There's never anything in the Bible that God says, if you do this, then this will happen, when it does not happen. It will always come to pass. And this young man found that out. And it came to pass. As they sat at the table, the Word of the Lord, under the prophet brought him back. He cried unto the man of God. They went back, verse 23, and it came to pass again. After he'd eaten bread, after he'd drunk, he left, after he had drunk, not got drunk, but he had drank a drink. Verse 24, when he was gone, a lion met him by the way and slew him. And this is one of the most sad sentences about a young person. And his carcass was cast in the way. And you know what grieves me? Is I know young people. I know young people who knew better. but they thought that their peers knew better than the Word of the Lord. And you know what's left? Their carcasses. That's it. Now all they are is a testimony to God being right again. It doesn't have to be that way. There's a way that seems right unto a man, but man doesn't set the standard. God does. Number three. that sincerity does not take away consequences. There's a way that seemeth what? Right unto a man. I mean, I'm not doing it because it's wrong. I'm not doing it to be rebellious. I mean, hey, I haven't got out of church yet. I haven't stopped doing good things yet. I mean, it seems right to me, but just because you're sincere doesn't mean that you'll lose the consequences. You know I have a brother out in New Mexico. His name's Kenny. He sends his greetings, by the way. He used to do this camp a lot. What you may not know is I have another brother who's in heaven. I never met him. He was older than I was. My parents lost two children before I was born. And one of the situations, it was the doctor's not fault, his mistake. He believed that he was doing the right thing. My parents believed he's the doctor. He wants what's best. No reason to doubt him. But it was a fatal mistake, and they lost one of their sons. Now, do you think that that doctor felt bad? Of course he did. Of course he did. But here's the reality. Sincerity doesn't bring people back from the dead. You can be sincere, but if you're wrong, you're still wrong. And there are people in churches and there are people in youth groups who are sincere, but they're not saved. But sincerity does not stop you from reaping the consequences. And if you've not submitted to what the Bible says salvation is, if you're just sincere in your church attendance, then you need to repent tonight. Turn to God and be saved. And lastly, not only By the way, let me just say this about this point, about sincerity. And I see the clock. You're going to have to think right, because if you don't, you will be duped by the people in your life. This is how spiritual they are, okay? And I'm not mocking them. I feel sorry for them. I live this way, by the way, so I know exactly how it goes. You would never say there's no God. You would never say that the Bible's not real. That'd be ridiculous. You know God's real. You know God exists. You know the Bible's real. But submitting to it? That's another story. So here's how we live. I'm going to do what I want to do anyway. But I'm not like the world. I'm spiritual enough to at least ask God to bless it. Right? And as long as God's blessing it, it must be the right thing to do. It's called the pragmatic approach to spiritual life. I mean, if it's going well, it must be right. And so I'm going to do what I want to do, but I'm going to pray and ask God to bless me because I'm spiritual. That is the exact opposite of how Christians ought to live. Here's how Christians live. Not, here's what I want to do. God, please bless it. It's the opposite. It's, Lord, what do you want me to do? And if you reveal it to me, then I will do it. Say, well, how do I know that? I told you two nights ago, you stay close to the Lord. You don't need, I said this to the guys, you don't need a girlfriend, you need God's grace. And you don't need to know God's will, you need to know God. And the more you know the Lord, the closer you are to the Lord, His will unfolds before you. That's the truth. So sincerity does not take away consequences. Lastly, wrong choices. Listen, wrong choices can lead to death. And that's a real truth. On Long Island, there was a teenage girl about a year ago who was texting. I'm sure if I asked Brother Metacroft or Pastor Roland or Brother George or these guys, you'd have the same stories. Matter of fact, maybe Brother Metacroft more because he's in the insurance business. But she was behind a semi-trailer and she was texting. And she made one decision to text while she was driving. And it was the last decision she ever made. Because the semi-truck had to slam on its brakes and she didn't know that. And so the whole front half of her car was underneath the semi-trailer. And she was killed. We can look at situations like that all over life, and we can say, wow, that's a really good lesson to learn. I graduated class with a kid named Ryan. We just celebrated our 20-year reunion. I didn't get a chance to attend, but 20 years ago, I graduated high school. How about that? And I still look this good. Amen? 20 years ago, we graduated high school. But he killed a man in a car accident. Because he made the decision, he got off work, he knew he was tired, he was falling asleep at the wheel, but instead of pulling over he said, I can make it home. He didn't make it home. He ended up in the hospital. He crossed the W.O. line and he killed somebody else. Wrong choices can lead to death. We can look at situations like that and think, man, wipe the tear from our eye, that is so sad. It's not nearly as sad as eternal death. There are clothes that I have at my house that I cannot wear anymore. I've outgrown them. I keep them for... I used to have a little old Cleveland Browns jacket, leather jacket. I don't even know how long I had that thing. I outgrew it so long ago. There are clothes that we have to give away because my daughter has outgrown them. Molly. It's taken a while for her to outgrow them, but she's outgrown them, alright? We have that. We give them away, whatever we have to do. And why? Because she's not going to wear them anymore. Here's what I want you to understand. This may be a silly illustration, but I hope you get the idea. One day, and it's coming, you're going to outgrow your body. You're not going to need it anymore. And you're never going to have a chance to go back into it. Because you're dead. Your body died. You are still living. You don't need it anymore. You are in what we call in theology the eternal state, where there's no do-overs. It's done. And here's what the psalm is warning us through the Holy Ghost. You have to be careful what you base your thoughts and actions on. Because there are things that seem right up here, but they're not. They lead to death. And if you're following a friend, or you're following a man, and you're not following the Bible, then my friend, you will wind up as dead spiritually as those other stories tragically were physically. No one wants that. Nobody wants that. You are not your body. Your body is just where you are right now. One day, you'll be in your eternal state. Here's the question, where will you be? From Brother Sam back there, all the way up here to the platform, one of us, look around right now, look around, look around. You're looking right now, one of us is the next one to die in this group. One of the people in this room right now will be the first one to die out of this group right here, right? in a year. By the way, I told you my 20-year reunion was just this past weekend. You know who couldn't come? Her name was Angie. You know why? Because she died. She died in her 20s. We don't know when we're going to die. And by the way, look up here. Especially you guys. I'm not trying to scare you right now. I'm not trying to scare you. I can't. I don't have that power. I can't scare you into being saved. What I can do is show you reality. The world's not reality. The Bible's reality. I'm just trying to show you reality. That one day, one of us will be the first one to die. Maybe me. I might run out. I'm up at my dad's house this week and I'm visiting him. I might run out to Meldrum's, which is one of my favorite restaurants. And I might get in a car accident and I might die. And I'm going to go somewhere. Every one of us is going to go somewhere. There's a way which seemeth right at the end, but the end thereof are the ways of death. All those decisions led to exactly where Satan gets the most joy. It wasn't the message I was planning on preaching, but it's the message I believe I was supposed to preach. And I want you to please, please, Understand what was said tonight. Why should you have a right mind? I don't have to elaborate on that. Because it pleases God. And no Christian should have to be begged to please God. That thought alone should make you come up here and say, Lord, I want to please You. I want to think right. Allow me to do that. But on the other hand, You're in a crowd where there are unsaved young men and unsaved young women. And the only reason is this, is because they really don't believe God right now. Either they don't believe that I'm a sinner like the Bible says I am, or they don't believe that God is as good as He says He is. That God's not going to save me. Let me tell you something. Yes, He will. Your friends may break their word. Your parents may break their word. God will never break His word. The Bible says that whoever believes on the Lord will not be ashamed. You know what that means? It means you'll not be disappointed. And I can tell you, not from just personal experience, but from the authority of the Bible, that God has never broke His word. If you come to Him tonight, and you tell Him exactly what He has showed you in your heart, and you cry out to Him tonight, you turn to Him and you say, Lord, I want to live for You. I want to please You. That's why You created me. That's why You gave me life, to please You. I want to please You. And don't beg Him to save you. He already said He would. Thank Him for loving you. Thank Him for providing salvation. And then thank Him for giving it to you. You'll walk back forgiven and a new person. And here's the most important part. You will walk back with an ability you did not have when you walked forward. The ability to please God. The ability to please God. Please don't buy into these Lies the world gives. Remember, things aren't always what they seem. Man does not set the standards. God's Word does. And sincerity does not take away the consequences. It doesn't matter how sincere someone is. What's right is what's right, and what's wrong is not right. And remember this, wrong choices about salvation will always lead to death. Brother Chris,