Matthew Weber: I'm privileged to have an impact on the next generation of world changers. And that's this group right here. If we all make some really key decisions this week, who knows what God will do with our lives, where he'll send us.

I've gotten in recent days messages and phone calls from different ones. He said, Pastor Weber, there's been a time, you know, I got one text message from a fellow I went to school with here at BCM. And he said, seven years ago today, God worked in my heart through a conversation we had.

I just want you to know God's called me to preach at that time, and I'm just remembering that moment. I thought, man, that's a privilege to have that kind of part in somebody's life, to have that kind of impact. I want to have that kind of impact today.

I just want to be used to the Lord, and I trust your heart today is to receive all that God has for you. We're in Psalm 51. I want to read a few verses here this morning, and I want to preach a message about what God wants.

What God wants. And God wants some pretty amazing things. in this world.

We all have different desires, different ideas of what we want, but God wants something today, and I want to encourage you with that. Psalm 51, if you got your Bible open, we'll read the first few verses together, and we'll spend a few minutes here in the Word of God. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mayest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest.

Let's pray together. Can we do that? Now, Lord, we need your help here this morning.

Not that we have any strength to do anything and we're just looking for you to help us just a little bit. But, Lord, we look for your help because without you we have nothing here this morning. And Lord, we've had a good morning already.

Devotions, activity times, even some trivia, a good testimony from Brother Tristan there. And now, Lord, we come to the Word of God. And Lord, in my own heart, I just want to be a part of what you're doing in these young people's lives.

And I pray that you would teach us some things today that would help us to be prepared even for the rest of the messages that we hear today. And Lord, we look to heaven with our hands open because we know that's where the good gifts come from. So Lord, we're asking for you to send your good gifts today.

Bring enlightenment of truth. Spirit of God, would you open our hearts to truth here today? In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. Psalm 51 is a wonderful passage, a place I've been in my own life a lot lately, and because I've got a lot of issues. I'm married, I've got now four kids.

We just had one on Sunday, so I've got four kids and with every child, Dr. Jim and many of the other men will tell you with each child, God exposes a little bit more of who you are and I got a lot of needs and I'm finding out more and more every day that I am in big trouble.

So you can pray for my wife because she's married to me and pray for my kids because I'm their dad and we have a good time though and I'm excited. I've got two boys and two girls and I got a son my oldest and my other son is our newest baby and I'm excited to be a dad these days. I believe we live in one of the greatest times in all of the world.

Do you? You know, there's a lot of wants and desires out in our world. And our world is, I don't know, maybe you guys don't watch as much news as I would or keep an eye on things that are going out there.

But I think it's kind of a dark day, don't you think? A lot of wars and rumors of wars. Do you know the United States is really on the verge of nuclear war with North Korea?

Do you know that we're actually on the verge of nuclear war with Iran? There's wildfires tearing apart the other side of our country. The south and then the east side of our country is being ravaged by hurricanes.

Our political system is being tore down. we're on the verge of really civil war in many ways. It's an exciting day, don't you think?

Sounds discouraging, but I believe that we live in one of the greatest times in all of history because the darker it gets, the brighter Jesus is. And you've got a wonderful opportunity, young people. I know I said it here last year, but you've got an awesome opportunity.

You know, I thought at one point in my life, I don't want to have so many kids, man. I don't want to raise them in this world. And we're going to talk in my session, by the way, after this session here about some of the things that young people are facing, one of the big things that you're facing in your generation.

But I don't want to raise them in this world. There's all kinds of really weird things happening out there. Boys are becoming girls and girls are becoming boys.

It's just upside down. And then I thought, no, I do want to raise my kids in this generation. I do want to do something with my children in this generation because this is the time in which this generation needs young people like you and young people like in my home.

And God wants us to do something in this day and age. And today I really do want to give some preparatory encouragement to you from Psalm 51 about what God wants. Our world and really in our country, they want peace.

And depending on who you ask, some want a new president, Some want new congressmen. Some want new senators. You know, in your church, there may be some wants.

You know, your pastor may want a new church bus or a new auditorium. Maybe some new church members. I don't know.

Your family may want some things. Right? Our family's always in want.

Maybe personally you want some things. You know? Some of you go to college here at BCM and, man, I'd really like to get a passing grade on my next test.

I haven't had one of those in a while. Oh, the wants. But God wants something that your generation needs.

And I want to give you a couple of thoughts here today again that I think will be helpful. Number one, number one, God wants you to accept personal responsibility for your sin. Now, one thing, if you haven't heard me preach before, you'll be helped by this.

I tend not to beat around the bush. I don't think it's fun. It's a lot more activity than it produces anything.

So I figure, let's just cut the bush down and let's get out of the way, huh? God wants you to accept personal responsibility for your sin. Look at Psalm 51 and verse number three.

I love this passage. David's passage here gives us so much help about how to approach God, how to be in God's presence, how to handle life when life comes at us. Verse 3 says, For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

You know, personal responsibility is the idea of acknowledging that you are responsible for the choices of your life. We live in a culture that is breeding the victim mentality. More so than I have ever understood in my life, when you listen to news or you listen to conversations out in the world, you listen to the conversations of these young generations and these young people coming up, you constantly hear why they can't do what they want to do, and it's always because of somebody else.

there's this victim mentality that is that is happening in our uh in our world and it's in in in many ways there's a personal exemption from the things that really in many ways this generation you have to grapple with this reality because you are personally exempting yourself from the work of god because somebody else has done you wrong and when we find in this passage of scripture something that god wants and god wants more than in the world.

Something that will help you greatly is personal responsibility. Do you know there's no greater attribute of a young person in this day and age than a young person who's willing to say, you're right, I'm wrong. I did something wrong here.

I acknowledge my transgressions. I've done some counseling. I've worked with Pastor Schultz here in the youth division and had some work with some of the young people here.

You know the biggest challenge that we've ever faced in youth ministry that I can see is really just working with young people to the place where they're just willing to acknowledge, I did that. That's most of the time that you spend with somebody, counseling and working with them. They live in this realm of this victim mentality.

Well, if it wasn't for so-and-so, or if it wasn't for this, if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here. How about if you didn't choose to do that, you wouldn't be here? There's another way I want to state it, blame-shifting.

Have you ever heard of that phrase? Blame shifting. Okay, it's nothing new.

In fact, the Bible tells us there's nothing new under the sun, right? So if you go back to the book of Genesis, you'll find in Genesis, chapter number 3, you'll find the enemy comes into the garden. You've got Adam and Eve there.

And God told Adam, what was he not supposed to do? Help me out here. He's not supposed to eat of the tree, right?

Apple tree, pear tree, who knows? Whatever it was, it was the fruit tree of some kind. It was good, I'm sure.

So then the enemy convinces Eve to go ahead and eat, and she takes some and passes it to her husband there, and he eats some, and then God shows up, right? He says, Adam, where are you? Hey, man, where'd you go?

Adam's like, she's quiet. He's never going to know we're here. where are you Adam here we are what are you doing well we were we realized we couldn't stand before you we were naked so we thought we'd hide ourselves who told you that how did you get in this place did you eat from the tree she gave it to me.

Flame shifting. She gave it to me. Now, you guys aren't husbands, so you don't know what that's like.

Well, maybe some of you are. If it wasn't for my wife, man, my world would be so wonderful. If it wasn't for my parents, I wouldn't have this problem at all.

You know, my dad does dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot. And if dad didn't do dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, then I wouldn't do fill in the blank. My mom, you have no idea what it's like to be in our house.

my mom dot dot dot dot dot dot and if it wasn't for my mom then I wouldn't do blank do you catch what I'm trying to say here young people you know Pastor Weber you don't know what it's like you got a great family I mean you got kids you can lock them in a room if they're not doing good but I've got siblings and you don't understand they're like animals It's like you can't trust them. They're like cats.

You turn your back on them and they try to claw you. I hate cats. We've got a cat that runs around in my yard.

My wife said, honey, get out the shotgun. I said, hallelujah, I married the right woman. Let's do that thing.

If I didn't have this brother, I'm telling you, he gets on my best nerve. And if I could, I would get rid of him. I really would.

I mean, he's my brother, but I'll be honest with you, he drives me to do things that I would never do. My sister. Do you know how long she spends in the bathroom?

You know, Pastor Weber, my life would be just fine if I didn't have that teacher. If I didn't have that teacher, if she didn't push me so hard, or if he didn't say those things, Or, you know, I just, man, I just don't like them. And if they weren't in my life, then I wouldn't be fill in the blank.

It's called blame shifting, young people. It's not personal responsibility. It's not a desire in your life to let God work in your heart and to say, you know what, God, thank you for bringing this person into my life because it's exposing this problem that I have.

Instead of saying, they're creating this problem I have. You know, sometimes the people around us can create that problem. I am remembering in my mind 1 Samuel.

Do you guys read your Bible? Do you remember that passage in 1 Samuel? You've got Saul, this new king here.

And you've got Samuel, who's this prophet. And Samuel comes to Saul and he says, Hey, Saul, okay, so this is what you want to do. You want to go down, you want to utterly destroy all the Amalekites.

Get rid of everybody. Don't spare anybody. get rid of the king, the people, everything.

We don't need any of it. Just take care of business. Aye, aye.

And off he goes down to war. He does his job. He does everything he's supposed to do.

At least that's his report when he comes back, right? He tells Samuel, I did everything. I utterly destroyed them, everybody.

And he's like, who's this guy? Oh, wait a second. What's that noise I hear?

If you, Saul, if you did everything you were supposed to do, and who's this guy? And what are those sheep doing here? Oh, well, you see, I did everything I was supposed to do.

This is my translation. This is the Matt Weber version. I did everything I was supposed to do.

It's these people. Oh, man, I can't stand it. These people.

If they would have did everything they were supposed to do, then everything would have gotten done. And you know what Saul's saying? Saul is saying, if these people weren't in my life, then blank.

Instead of saying, you know what? I'm a poor leader, Samuel, and I didn't do my job. And some of us young people, we sit in this world and we think, if I didn't have this circumstance in my life, if I didn't have these parents, if I didn't have these siblings, if I didn't have this teacher, if I didn't have this thing going on, then my life would be completely different.

Well, did your teacher make you cheat on that test? I mean, honestly, did your siblings somehow mouth those words out of your mouth? Those words of hate and anger towards them?

Do your parents force you to listen to music that they don't want you to listen to? I mean, who is it that causes you to click on that internet pornography? Is it somebody else or is it you?

Pastor Weber, we just don't have any money. Our house, we're broke. And if we had some money, life would be different.

No, no, no. If you would begin to take personal responsibility for the decisions of your life, your life would be different. You know, most people that I meet with as a pastor that have financial problems, if you spend any time with them, you will find out that their financial problems are really just poor decisions that they make in life.

It's not so much that they don't have money, it's that they spend money in the wrong place. It's just like young people. We do as much as we can, try to help you.

Keep your money in your pocket until you know when to spend it in the right place. You don't need to buy Mountain Dew all the time. You don't need the latest iPhone, the iPads, all the iDevices, you don't need them.

It's better to pay your college bill first than to get all that stuff. You know, it might be wise one day, if you're going to want a vehicle, to start saving for one. Fascinating thing how it works.

But the decisions that you make today will affect your tomorrow. So, hey, listen, it's not your family. It's not these things.

It's your decisions. I'm belaboring the point here. I like doing that.

It's kind of fun for me. But there's this book out there that actually absolutely fascinates me. Anybody in here a reader?

Do you like reading books? Okay, good. Oh, that's great.

I give up on reading because I can't really read. And I take the easy way out. Now I listen to them.

I love technology. Now you can listen to everything. You just plug in.

I feel like a robot sometimes. You just plug in and zone out. But there's this book called What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Anybody read it? Nobody. I haven't read it either.

I figured why waste my time because here's the thesis. Everybody else did it to me.

it's hundreds of pages of why she lost the presidential election and at no point in her book does she say it was me this is pervasive in our culture you'll notice that David never blamed anyone in Psalm 51 for his issues do you realize that when you read Psalm 51 you don't hear David saying, well, if Bathsheba wasn't out there, if she wasn't doing what she was doing, then I wouldn't have this problem.

Hey, if she wasn't married to Uriah, you know, if she was single, then this wouldn't be an issue. Come on, God, give me a break here. It's their fault.

If they would have done something differently, then I wouldn't be in this situation. And we don't see David saying that. He's saying, listen, I accept that I have done something wrong.

You know what that's called? Personal Look in chapter 51 there in verse 1 here. It says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Blot out whose transgressions? My transgressions. Verse 2, Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Verse 3, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Do you get a sense that David is saying something here, that he's trying to communicate something here to us here in this generation? What do you think he's trying to communicate?

Let me help you here if you're a slow learner, if you're a homeschooler, or maybe you're a public schooler, and that would be even worse. Sorry, I'm a public schooler. He's saying, listen, I'm taking personal responsibility.

He's saying there was a time when the prophet of God showed up on my doorstep. And instead of beating around the bush, he pointed a finger and said, Hey, listen, the problem that you have in this place right now is not everybody else. It's you.

You know, Nathan could have lost his head that day. Praise the Lord for a man of God who was willing to stand up and say something true in a day when darkness would have prevailed.

praise the Lord for somebody who would have stood up to somebody who could have cut his head off and shipped him out and he stood up anyway and did what God wanted him to do and in the meeting that we're having here today and for the rest of the day and for and tomorrow you're going to hear from a lot of men of God and they're going to point the finger at you and you're going to have to make a decision are you going to

respond like David responded or are you going to point the finger the other way?

Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 11 as he talks about the Lord's Supper, he says if we would just examine ourselves or judge ourselves, we wouldn't be judged. Jesus says in Matthew chapter number 7 and verse number 1, judge not lest ye be judged. And there in that passage of scripture he talks about the idea of pulling the beam out of your own eye before you start pointing the finger at somebody else's speck in their eye.

Why? Why does God want us to look at our own selves? Because he wants us to take personal responsibility for the things that are happening in our life that are our decision.

Number two. Number two. I hope some of you are waking up to this reality.

I really do. I hope some of you are thinking, wow, I can't blame my mom and dad anymore? That's what I'm hoping is happening in this moment.

I can't blame my siblings anymore. I can't blame my pastor anymore. I can't blame God anymore.

No. You know, when we were babies, you had no choice but to be fed by somebody else. I'm learning that.

I've got a little baby, right? Get the bottle and stick it in the baby's mouth. If you try, he can't hold on to it.

He tries all he might, but he can't do it. But when you get older, you learn that you got to eat for yourself. And if you get food on your shirt when you're trying to put it in your mouth, it's not my fault, it's your fault.

My kids are like illustrations all over the place. You just wait one day, you're going to have them. They're funny, man.

They run around and scream and yell, and they run into the walls sometimes. Then they fall down, and then they cry, and you pick them up, hug them, and they do it again. It's awesome.

But the hardest lesson my kids are learning is personal responsibility. And every day I encourage and help them to understand that, listen, if you slap your sister in the head, she's going to bite you. Young people, if you transgress God's law, it's a sin.

it. You've broken God's law. It's not somebody else's problem.

It's your problem. Don't blame other people. Don't be like our political leaders who want to point the finger in another direction.

Be like a generation that's going to impact the world with something special. You know what God wants? He wants a generation of people who will take personal responsibilities for the decisions that they're making.

That would be something special. That would be something fascinating. You know, that's something that will change the world.

Number two, are you there? God wants you to be honest about your sin. These two dynamics are the most fascinating things.

They are the most life-changing dynamics that God wants in your life. When you think about all this stuff, missions, God wants us to go across the world, God wants us to pray, God wants us to do this, God wants us to do that. On a very practical level, God wants personal responsibility for your sin and genuine honesty about the things that you've done.

This is where things slow down, and I'm sure we haven't had really, I don't think I've heard one amen. Can you guys say amen? All right, good.

I'm just wondering if you guys are even still alive. Last time I checked, this wasn't the library, but you just never know. Look at verse 6 of Psalm 51.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden parts thou shalt make me to know wisdom. It's almost like God's trying to say something. I want you to say things that are true.

Do you know honesty is one of the most fundamental building blocks of our world? Man, imagine what would happen in our world if everybody all of a sudden told the truth. I think we would be absolutely scared.

You know, God wants you to be honest with yourself. You know? He wants you to get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and say, wow, I am in big trouble.

Look at me. No, I'm just kidding. He wants you to be honest with others.

You know, when somebody comes up to you and says, hey, brother, hey, sister, you know, I've got this thing happening in my life, and you say, oh, what is it? Let me know so I can pray for you about it. You know what he wants you to do?

He wants you to be honest and actually pray about it. Don't try to get the latest gossip. But God not only wants you to be honest with yourself and with others, but he wants you to be honest with him.

I've got a radio broadcast, and I don't know if I should do this, but I do it anyway because I think it's helpful for folks. These are people that I never ever reach anyway. They never come into our church.

They're in our community, so I really do want to be a help to them. But I told them this. I said, listen, if you think God is blind to the things that are happening in your life, like somehow he has turned a blind eye to your life, and he cannot see you hiding in your room or out in your garage, smoking your cigarettes, drinking your beer, looking at your internet pornography.

If you think that's the case, then you're a moron. And I say that kindly. Maybe you can't say that kindly, I'm not sure.

But listen, young people, do you know that honesty would solve most of your problems today? Most all of the problems that you face today would be solved with just genuine honesty? Do you know your parents work hard just to try to get from you just what's happening in your life?

And you spend so much time trying to put up all these walls and guard yourself from actually telling them what's really happening. Honesty would solve so many problems. And I really trust that today, in the next few sessions that we have together, that you will get honest with yourself, with others, and with God.

Let me ask you some questions here that I hope would be helpful. Are you walking with Jesus daily? Now listen, don't lie to me.

And don't lie to yourself. But most importantly, don't lie to God. Now I'm not asking you to speak out.

I'm asking you to be genuine in your own heart. Are you meeting daily with him? Are you talking daily of him like we heard last night?

Are you spiritually in your own life where God wants you to be right now? Is there sin in your life? Back to Genesis, right?

Chapter 3, Adam, Eve, they're just committed to sin. They hear God walking in the cool of the day, and he's coming into the garden there, and he's coming in to hang out with his creation, whom he loves unconditionally. He's looking around and there's something different.

Adam and Eve, who normally would embrace the opportunity to spend time with God, have now disappeared. And he's looking around and he's God, so he doesn't really have to look around in the sense of trying to find out information. He's looking around in the sense of, where are they?

and God knows they're hiding under this bush over here because he's God. So we ask this simple question. Adam, Adam, where art thou?

Okay, maybe if you don't understand it, it's like this. Hey, where are you? And then they pop up, right?

We're right here. Now, can I ask you a question? Why did God ask where Adam was?

no I'm not asking you to answer ok I do that you'll find that out he was asking Adam where Adam was not because God was wondering where Adam was he was trying to help Adam be honest about where Adam was he's saying Adam where are you Adam be honest what changed what happened here something's different don't pretend like this is normal something's different here what happened to you Adam? is there a sin in your life today young people?

do you know there's nothing more that God wants in this world than young people who are on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ who are alive with the presence of God who are literally feeding on the word of God because they esteem God's word more than their necessary food that they need to drink from the living water that comes from the throne of heaven. They understand what it means to get good gifts from God.

They are raising holy hands to God and they are touching the world all around them and doing amazing things. That's what God wants. And there's nothing that hinders that like one little word.

Sin. Can we be honest here today? Could we?

I mean, if we were just going to sit back and if we're going to be honest. Would we be honest with Scripture? Would you be honest today with Scripture?

Would you help me to agree with God that God takes sin, especially the sin of lying, very seriously? Do you think God takes the sin of lying seriously? Help me out here.

Do you think so? Do you know there's a verse in Scripture that says, all liars will have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone? It almost gives you the impression that God's kind of serious about this lying thing.

Don't you? I would think that. So that would help me to believe that if we're going to lie and we're not going to be honest about the things that are happening in our life, that God wants to purge us of that issue in our life.

So today and this morning, what he wants us to do is take personal responsibility and he wants to purge us to the point where we're just being genuinely honest. You know, honesty is just a normal part of life. It's abnormal to be dishonest.

Did you know that? Now, some of you have gotten into the pattern of leaving a dishonest life. You frequently, and probably even without thinking, lie to your parents.

How are you doing? Oh, I'm doing fine. Did you finish your homework?

Yeah, it's all done. You lie to your pastor. You lie to your teacher.

You lie to your youth division leader. You lie to everybody around you. You're pathological liars.

Many of you just live that way, and you think, ah, there's nothing wrong with it. If God puts people in hell for lying, then listen, there is something wrong with it. Are you involved in Internet pornography?

Can I just be, I mean, are you? Pastor Weber, I mean, come on. Most of us go to a Christian school.

We wouldn't do that stuff. Oh, listen. some of you are the worst I've never met Christians I've met actually just a few Christians who are probably worse than some of the lost people in this world more vile and wicked than the lost people I used to hang around with more deceptive more bent on hurting people do you sneak away in my mind I'm remembering a meeting that I was with with Dr.

Jim I had the privilege of traveling with him and we were down in another state and I remember in a counseling session after a message Dr.

Jim preached and there was a young man squeaky little guy you know I mean I looked at him and I thought man what in the world is wrong everything his kid is dripping from every orifice he almost thought things were coming out of his ears but he was just weeping and I thought what is wrong with this little kid alive so I get went down sat next to him it's not coming out of his nose and blow dude you need more you need something plug

that hole and then he lifted up his head and I said man what is wrong he says I go home from school I go to grandma's house and I lock the door Grandma thinks I'm doing homework.

But I'm not. I'm looking at pornography. I think that kid was in seventh grade.

In a Christian school. So can you be honest here today? Is that your problem?

Because if you're going to get honest, like Tristan mentioned in his testimony, that the first step really towards this freedom that God wants to bring you to this week, and that's what this week is all about, is getting to freedom. It has the idea of saying, yes, I do this, and yes, this is a sin that God wants to cleanse out of my life, and therefore you're prepped and ready for freedom.

This young man, it was great to see him get free from that issue in his life, but I'll never forget that moment. It was such an eye-opening moment for me. I thought, man, I got saved out of the world.

The first Christian experience I had of school was college, and I'm around all kinds of people who want to go on for the Lord, so to listen to some youngster in seventh grade talk about doing pornography, and I was like, whoa, they didn't really do that kind of stuff? And then I learned. Some of them are the worst.

Do you cheat on your schoolwork? Oh, come on. It's easy just to look on somebody else's paper.

It's easy just to copy that stuff right off the internet. Some of you homeschoolers know what it's like to just go over to the teacher handbook and get the answers out when mom's not around or dad's not around. Do you know that God takes that really serious?

God doesn't think that's funny. You're not benefiting your life.

why are you cheating yourself out of an education why do you choose to be dumb at that point I wish I could go back to school and do it all over man I get into life and I'm thinking man I was stupid I did everything I could to try to get out of class I would pick up chairs in the middle of class and I would threaten to throw them at my teacher you know what they would do they'd send me to the principal's office

and I'd lay in the nursery, or the nursery, the nurse's room, and they would just tell me to calm down and then maybe I could go to the next class.

And I'd miss a whole class or they'd send me home and I wouldn't get any school at all. Well, that was real smart. And some of you don't do that kind of, you know, to that extent, but isn't it just as silly to be cheating on your homework or your tests or your papers?

I don't get it why do you lie to your parents is that honest you set up patterns in your life for dishonesty and you think somehow life experience when you get older things will get better that your life when you get married and you get out of the house and you finally get that wife or that husband of your dreams and you get out of that place and you're finally free to do everything you want, you have just prepared yourself for a life of absolute misery.

Because you have set up patterns and processes in your life that have prepared you to lie to your spouse, lie to your kids, lie to your new pastor or that new ministry opportunity or that new boss that you're going to have. When you get old, it doesn't get better, it gets worse. Do you obey your parents?

Pastor, whatever, I'm in college. I obey my mom. My mom asked me to do something, I do it.

I'll just give you a quick opportunity I had the other day. My mom, we just had our baby Sunday morning. My mom sends me a text.

Did you send a text, information to your brothers? No, mom, didn't do it. Could you please forward the thing that I sent to you?

She texts back, you do it. Now. That's my mom's way of saying no.

You know what I did? I sent out a text to my brothers. Why?

Because I wanted to honor my mom and obey her. Because I want my mom to know that I'm a Christian. And I want to be a genuinely honest person who has God's blessing on his life.

And I think I kind of do. I've got the most amazing wife. I've got awesome kids.

I've got an awesome house, a great ministry. God's taking care of us financially in ways that I can't even explain. Why?

Because I take personal responsibility for the things that happen in my life. And I'm genuinely honest with God about the things that he wants to deal with me about. David was an honest man.

Look at verse 4. against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil. Do you know David didn't see his sin as something less than God saw it?

He says, listen, this adultery that I've committed, this murder that I've committed, these things that I've done, this deception, this lying, all these things are evil. Do you know that when you lie to your parents, that's not a habit that you have. That's not just some vice that you have.

That's an evil deed that God punishes in eternity.

Jesus died on the cross for that lie Jesus died on the cross when you cheated This stuff is evil, young people Let's grapple with that truth Let's grapple with that reality This is not just something that you do And when you see your friend doing those things You better let him know God doesn't like that stuff I was at a gas station one day one of the folks visiting our ministry I happened to see them in line and they turn around with a pack of

cigarettes in their hand and see the pastor standing there was kind of a jarring moment for this person oh hi pastor just it's a vice I said, no, it's not.

It's a sin. Why do we want to sugarcoat those things? Listen, you are not helping yourself.

You're dumbing down your Christianity. You're not helping this generation that needs you. You are imbibing worldly philosophy.

Don't try to sugarcoat it. Don't try to blame shift. Don't try to pretend it's something that it's not.

The Bible says that you have a wicked, evil heart and are deceived by it. Why don't you just say, you know what, God? You're right.

my heart's evil and it's wicked and I do evil and wicked things and when you show them to me I want to be honest with you so I can get the freedom that you want to give me you'll never have true freedom from the sin issues in your life if you're not honest with God about those things did you know that?

1 John 1.8 says if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us I wonder here today who would just simply just say you know what Pastor Weber it's not a big deal. It's sin.

It's really not affecting anybody. I mean, it's just kind of my thing. You're ruining your life, young person.

You're ruining your life. You're ruining your future marriage and your family. You're ruining everything about your life.

You're ruining it. It's a huge problem. Don't deceive yourself.

The enemy does not have your best interest in mind. And what I'm asking for you to do is we have these next opportunities to meet together and have some preaching sessions, and you're going to hear much better preaching than I presented to you this morning. You're going to hear some awesome preaching.

And what I want you to do, and I'm asking you to do these two very simple things that David did that set him up for an amazing, wonderful ministry that had a huge impact on your life. He took personal responsibility for the issues that he had in his life, his choices that he made. You can't stop life from rushing in.

But you can make decisions about how you deal with that life when it comes. And then number two, be honest with God. This is a sin.

This is an issue. Now, you're going to face some potential dangers, and I want to give them to you here. I've got them on a separate notepad here.

This is part of my problem is I've got so many thoughts running around in my head, I don't even know where to start and stop. And so we're just going to go until about 4 o'clock this afternoon, okay? Amen.

you're going to face a few dangers. I'm going to give you five of them. Are you ready?

Today you're going to face a few dangers. My sin doesn't affect anybody, so I don't have to worry about dealing with that issue. My sin doesn't affect anybody, so I don't have to deal with it.

It doesn't affect anybody, so I don't have to worry about it. Nobody knows about it. It's just me.

Okay, if you say nobody knows about it, it's just me, write down, I'm a moron. because God knows about it. And he's very interested in dealing with you and trying to help you through this issue in your life.

And if you imbibe that danger of pretending like it doesn't affect anybody, you're being foolish. Your bitter, angry spirit defiles the people around you. Your pornography destroys your family.

Drug addictions that some of you may or may not understand or have hurt everybody around you. unbelief in the area of anything in your life destroys, destroys your life. Number two, God cannot see my sin.

Do you need me to extrapolate on that one, or do you think you understand what I'm about to say? God can't see my sin. Okay, just write down what you are right next to that if you believe that.

A moron. Number three, I don't need to get right with that person. You can't be right with God if you're not right with your parents.

You need to get honest with your parents. You need to take personal responsibility for those lies that you've told. You need to take personal responsibility for those things that you've done.

You need to get right. You need to deal with those issues. That is part of the cleansing and the purging process.

The part of freedom is getting rid of the shackles of these dangers that happen in our life. If you're using your parents' computer to look at Internet pornography, you need to get to your parents.

if you're lying to your teacher you need to tell your teacher that you're cheating on your homework the fourth one is to become numb to your sin in ephesians it talks about how uh their had their understanding was darkened being alienated through the life of god through ignorance that was in them because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling gave themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. And the idea of being past feeling is the idea of getting numb.

When you harness that sin and hang on to it long enough, one of the potential dangers that will happen in your life, if you're not honest, if you're not taking personal responsibility, is you just become numb, complacent. It just becomes part of your life and you give it another name. It's just a bad habit.

It's just a vice that I have. It's not that big of a deal. Some of you are sitting in this room right now trying to bounce that out in your head.

You're trying to think in your head, how does that work? you're numb your conscience is seared and God's trying to resensitize you isn't that exciting? we got an awesome opportunity in this world why would we spend so much time trying to protect our petty sin issues?

why not just get it out on the table and deal with it? let God sensitize us again man I can't tell you I got saved at 28 out of the world and every time I went to a preaching session it was like God was saying this is a problem in your life. I want to deal with it.

I thought, what in the world? Every time I come to church, can't we just, come on, Lord, just talk to somebody else for a minute? Then I began to realize, no, this is a blessing.

This is a blessing. God's talking to me about problems in my life that hinder my relationship with Him. He wants to have a relationship with me, live and vibrant.

Why would I want to become numb to this deadness in my life?

here's the fifth one and probably the most dangerous one that you will face today you pass by the opportunity to deal with it you're going to have opportunity after opportunity in the next few hours together to deal with the issues of your life don't pass by them when god calls upon you to make a decision make a decision amen all right let's pray together lord we love you and we thank you for the opportunity to gather together with these men and women, these world changers.

Lord, they're an awesome group of young people, good listeners, sensitive and attentive to the word of God. Lord, bless them and mightily pour out your spirit upon them in these days. Lord, give them exactly the messages they need to hear.

And Lord, deal with them about every issue in their life. Don't let them go until they're completely blessed of heaven, until, Lord, they leave this meeting here in these next couple of days completely free from the issue so they can go out and do everything that you want them to do. Lord, give them the heart of David, willing to be personally responsible and honest with you.

Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed, nobody's looking around. You say, Pastor Weber, today, I appreciate your message, and I just want to testify by the uplifted hand. Being personally responsible for the issues of my life has been an issue, but today it will be no more.

I am ready today, Pastor Weber, by the Spirit of God, by his power, and by his grace, as we go into these preaching messages, I am going to take personal responsibility for my sin. Would you just pray for me as we go? Anyone?

Yes, all over. I'm going to take personal responsibility. Yes.

As God shows me things in my life, you may put your hands down. Anyone else? Anyone else?

I'm going to take personal responsibility. I'm not going to point the finger at anybody else. I'm not going to blame anybody else.

If God shows me something about my life, I'm going to say, Lord, it's me. Anyone else? By the uplifted hand, pray for me.

Yes. Pastor Weber, I'm going to get honest with God in the next few sessions that we have together.

if God points something out I'm going to get honest with God I'm going to deal with the issue all the way through if I've got to tell my parents if I've got to tell my pastor if I've got to get to my team leader whatever I need to do but I'm going to deal with it and I'm going to deal with it thoroughly because I realize it's hindering me from doing everything that God wants me to do and would you pray for me Pastor Weber

by the uplifted hand would you pray for me I'm going to get honest with God this week up high so I can see him up high so I can see him all around the room put your hands down now listen young people there are some of you who will not lift your hand you will not lift your hand.

And you are the people I am worried about. Because there is still, you're digging in your heels and you're saying, no, I'm not going to do it. And I'm nervous for you.

But I'm going to pray for you too. Lord, bless these young people. Give them everything that you want to give them, especially those who will not raise their hand.

Lord, have mercy on them. If they cover their sin, they will not prosper. but Lord, would they just uncover that and let it go, and Lord, let you bless them with a wonderful life that you have for them.

Bless the meaning now as we go. We love you, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.