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TITLE: Hall Pass to Life
TEXT: Philippians 3:12-14
PROPOSITION: Graduation is a time you receive a pass to life.
QUESTION: What?
KEY WORD: Requirements
SCRIPTURE READING: Same
INTRODUCTION:
- Graduation = reflection, memories, nostalgia
- High School = must have a hall pass
- This morning - I give you your LAST hall pass to life.
- 5 things must be on your pass.
Faith in Christ
Hebrews 11:6 - must have faith in God, Christ, Bible, church
NOT: in parents, teachers, school, faith in faith
Must be a personal faith you have in your God.
Focus on your goals
Many teens are “aimless” - Time Magazine - no goals, no direction
Set goals and focus on them. TEXT
Concentrate on the goals - Hebrews 11:2 - “looking unto Jesus”
Don't let other things distract you from your goals.
Clerk in store does not want to help you, little league coach yells at kids
Harvard - terrible football team -
That's all right, that's OK, You will work for us someday.”
Finish what you start
Luke 14:28-30 - build a tower, sit down and count the cost
College - graduate; Marry - stay married; Work - finish what you start
Paul Harvey - tough message for graduates (See below)
Freedom to fail
James 3:2 - We all stumble in many ways
Optimist - called home about failing a test - I got a high F
If you double your success rate - you double your failure rate.
Think about this “failure”. (See below - American Failure)
Great men of God failed - and grew from their failure.
- Noah failed morally
- Abraham lied (twice) and got into trouble
- David -murder and adultery
- Samson - failed and lost his strength
- Peter denied Christ
- Paul - called himself the chief of sinners
Family a priority
Exodus 20:12 - Honor your father and mother
Stay close to home - not about geography - but the heart.
Always make family - extended, personal, church family - a priority.
NOTE: The ideas and main outline are adapted from some material by Doug Coburn.
Paul Harvey - tough message for graduates
Life is not fair - get used to it.
IF you think your teacher is tough wait till you get a boss.
If you mess up its not your parent's fault so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills and cleaning your room.
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
American Failure
1831 - Failed in business
1832 - Defeated for legislature
1833 - Failed again in business
1834 - elected to legislature
1835 - Fiancé died
1836 - Had a nervous breakdown
1838 - Defeated for speaker of the house
1840 - Elected senator
1850 - Son died
1855 - Defeated for Senate
1856 - Defeated for Vice President
1858 - Defeated for Senate
1860 - Abraham Lincoln was elected President
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