Ed Young Jr

According to Ed Young, doubts are a lot like uvulas.  They start out small and they kind of just hang there.  They are not that big of a deal.  But if they get infected with the germs of disbelief and our faith gets rocked, or maybe we have read an article by some scientist that takes the wind out of our faith, it can begin to swell our uvulas.  And they can slowly choke out our faith.  We don’t need to walk around with our doubts unchecked.  We need to go to the great physician, Jesus Christ, and say, “Lord, I’m having these doubts.  Give me assistance.  Give me the medication.  Help me.”

Yes, doubts have great potential.  They are like our uvulas.  They can choke out our faith.  Also, though, doubts can lead us into a deeper connection and a deeper walk with the Lord.  Remember, it’s what we do with our doubts.  It’s what we do with them.

Ed Young Jr said that sometimes when I am going through a bout with doubt, I’ll feel like there is a distance between myself and God, caused by my doubts.  So often, God will use this distance for me to concentrate on his character and to appreciate his presence even to a greater degree.  I think David felt this when everything was kind of falling apart, he said this in Psalm 22, verse 1: “My God, My God.  Why have you forsaken me?”  Our doubts distance us from God, yet God can use them to develop a greater hunger for him.

Pastor Ed Young says I love my wife.  We have been married for 18 years.  She is an unbelievable lady.  She is a great leader, a great Christian.  She home schools our four children.  I can go on and on and on about her.   But here is what I do.  I find myself taking Lisa for granted when we are together.  I don’t find myself concentrating on her character, on her voice, appreciating the twinkle in her eyes, the way she walks, her sweet spirit and all that.  I don’t really appreciate that until she is gone.

Ed Young said some are plastic people.  Have you ever seen a plastic arrangement of fruit that looks so real.  You come right up to it, and you think, “I want a bite of that apple.”  You pick it up and you realize, “Oh, it’s a fake apple.”  A lot of hypocrites produce fake fruit.  It’s not good.  We should produce Farmer’s Market type produce, hopefully organic, and share it with others so they can eat it.  Because we have a world that is dying for fruit.

According to Pastor Ed Young, the word “impartial” means unwavering.  Sincere.  The word “sincere” means to live a hypocrite-free life.  The word hypocrite means to wear a mask, and a lot of us have these masks on.  We come to church with masks on.  “Oh, yes, I am a Christ-follower.  I live for the Lord.”  Once we hit the parking lot, the mask is gone. The real person comes out then.  If you are sincere, your life is characterized by honesty and one of my favorite words, integrity.  The word “integrity” comes from the word integer, which means a whole number.  I am not giving out fractions.  I am giving out a wholeness to others.  We have too many fraction folks out there, if you hear me screaming.

Ed Young Jr said now, peacemaker.  What does it mean to be a peacemaker?  A peacemaker means that I am going to speak the truth in love.  I am going to do truth God’s way.  Sometimes, it might ruffle some feathers, sometimes people might get a little freaky, but I am going to be a peacemaker.  A peacekeeper is something you don’t want to be.  A peacekeeper says, “Oh, I can’t ruffle feathers. I can’t step on anybody’s toes.  I have got to keep everybody a-okay.  I have got to keep the waters calm.”

You kind of felt uneasy talking about the things of the Bible or if someone would mention Jesus Christ or you kind of felt uncomfortable at church.

I have spoken to thousands of junior high and high school students.  I have seen what happens because of parent’s inability to say no.  And parents, a lot of your kids are doing this stuff just so they will get your attention.  Do you say no regularly, firmly, lovingly?  Do you draw the boundaries or are you sitting there eating that chicken saying, “Boys will be boys.”

Ed Young said that the reason I am so passionate about this subject is because it is the essence of our salvation.  Do you remember when Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, His flesh being torn by the nails, bleeding to death, suffocating?  All hell and all the demonic forces screamed in His ear, “Hey, Jesus, jump down, its not worth it.”  Do you know what Jesus said?  No.  He said no because of a bigger yes, paying for your sins and mine on the cross.  If that is not the motivation that we need to say no because of a bigger yes, I don’t know what is.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.  They are itty, bitty words that can change your life.

Ed Young Jr – That feeling that you know down deep one day you’ll have to face a holy God at the judgment and you will have to give an account for every idle word, every idle thought, every wrong deed you have ever done.