TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives - Tools of the Trade 3-22-26
INTRODUCTION
Conventional approach - corn maze, target, Magic 8-ball
Ordinary guidance and supernatural surprises
I. OPEN DOORS
Poptheology
- a popular notion that does not come from Biblical theology
A.
"Open door" theology
Often the ease of
a situation is what determines if it is an "open" or
"closed" door
Convenience
Jonah's ship
sailing for Tarshish was not an open door. It wasn't God's providential
hand. It was convenient.
B. Many
times the difficulty of a situation points us to the right action.
Difficult
discussions, confessing sin, confronting sin, repentance
Asking
Paula to marry me.
We fought every
inconvenience - kidnapping, her dad, distance, my fear
II. FLEE THE FLEECE
Judges 6:36-40 NIV
“Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as
you have promised— look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If
there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know
that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened.
Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a
bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me
make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this
time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night
God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.”
Judges 6:36-40 NIV
A. Seems a
Biblical approach but asks for supernatural response to a normal situation
God
is not a Magic 8-ball.
The whole
approach sounds dangerously close to Jesus words in Matthew 4:7 NIV.
Matthew 4:7 NIV
“Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the
Lord your God to the test.’””
Matthew 4:7 NIV
B. We are
not encouraged to do what Gideon did.
Another point of
Poptheology is that if you see it in the Bible you can do the same thing and
expect the same result. If the passage does not also teach us to do the
same thing, then perhaps we should not expect the same result.
By
the way, the book of Judges is summed up in the passage,
Judges 21:25b NIV
"everyone did as they saw fit."
Judges
21:25b NIV
III. RANDOM IS AS RANDOM DOES
A. Random
is random
Guy dating Becky
on January 24 was reading his Bible reading plan which had him reading Genesis
24. He gets to the end of the chapter and reads "and he married
Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her."
The person
who reads
2 Samuel 7:3 NIV
“Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go
ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.””
2 Samuel
7:3 NIV
B. Is
that a word from the Lord, or words from the Word of God?
Random
Reading – Be careful looking for guidance
“Keep this Book
of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful.” Joshua 1:8 NIV
“Then he
(Judas) went away and hanged himself." Matthew 27:5b NIV
“Go and do
likewise.”” Luke 10:37b NIV
“So Jesus
told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” John 13:27b NIV
The great hymn
writer and pastor John Newton (1725-1807) knew this truth. Once he was
considering a call to a church in Warwick, England. At first, Newton
thought God was promising him great success if he took the call. "I
remember, in going to undertake the care of a congregation, I was reading, as I
walked in the green lane, 'Fear not, Paul, I have much people in this
city.' But I soon afterward was disappointed to find that Paul was not
John and that Corinth was not Warwick." Newton realized that while
the Bible may promise many things, it did I not promise him great success in
Warwick. He was wise enough to see the folly in seeking guidance through
random Bible verses.
"Others,
when in doubt, have opened the Bible at a venture," Newton wrote
elsewhere, "and expected to find something to direct them in the first
verse they should cast their eyes upon. It is no small discredit to this
practice that the heathens, who knew not the Bible, used some their favorite
books in the same way . . . For if people will be governed by the occurrence of
a single text of Scripture, without regarding the context, or duly comparing it
with the general tenor of the Word of God, and with their own circumstances,
they may commit the greatest extravagances, expect the greatest
impossibilities, and contradict the plainest dictates of common sense, while
they think they have the word of God on their side."
IV. IMPRESSIONS AS IMPRESSION
A.
Impressionist art
Have you ever
misjudged someone based on feeling, intuition, hunch?
God
can speak through intuition, hunch, gut feelings
B.
Subjective interpretation
Even
following earnest prayer, we are still fallible.
On issues not
clearly laid out in Scripture, we should not claim more authority for our plans
than the nature of impressions allows.
DON'T MANIPULATE OR ABUSE THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE!
Newton's approach
"In general, he [God] guides and directs his people by affording them, in answer to prayer, the light
of his Holy Spirit, which enables them to understand and to love the
Scriptures. The Word of God is not to be used as a lottery; not is it
designed to instruct us by shreds and scraps, which, detached from their proper
places, have no determinative imports; but it is to furnish us with just
principles, right apprehensions to regulate our judgments and affections, and
thereby to influence and direct our conduct."
In other words,
God gives us wisdom. That's what the writer of Proverbs means when it
says,
Proverbs 2:9 NIV
“Then you will understand what is right and just and
fair—every good path.”
Proverbs 2:9 NIV
CONCLUSION
God opens and closes doors. Do not expect a fleece to
tell you anything. Random events should not be made into more than what they
are - random patterns. Impressions like art are personal and subjective. Use
the wisdom God has given you in His word and listen to others who are wiser
than you.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation"
following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus.
You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing
ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be
baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in
these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you
have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can
come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you
following the service about what God is doing in your life.
