Sermon Tone Analysis
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Inform Yourself
In order to discern God’s leading we should seek to gain as much information as possible about the situation.
The Bible is full of examples and principles that merge God’s will with adequately-informed judgment.
Examples?
A person who makes a pronouncement without listening to the facts is a fool.
Ignorance is never a virtue in finding God’s direction.
God does not usually lead in a vacuum.
He uses factors to create in us an impression of what His direction might be.
The more attention we pay to these factors, the more likely we are to understand what God wishes us to do.
One of the most important facts is information.
By learning all that we can about our decision, we are giving God something to work with as He leads.
Consider a man who is contemplating a promotion or a new job that will require him to move to a distant city.
What information should he seek to gather?
What will his new responsibilities entail?
Who will he be working with?
Learn all he can about the city (opportunities and problems)
Search in advance for churches in that city (visit them if possible and talk to their pastors)
How will his new co-workers perceive him?
How does his wife fell about the move?
His children?
How people feel is an important part of the decision
What rule should we follow for gathering information?
Is there a set list for every circumstance?
We must gain as much relevant information as possible before the choice has been made.
Informing yourself is necessary if you intend to exercise due diligence when making decisions.
What about Christian leaders that dismiss the exercise of due diligence by denouncing it as “human wisdom”?
Too many Christian leaders have wrecked ministries—and people’s lives—because they did not bother to inform themselves before announcing it to be “God’s will.”
What about people who refuse to gather information and make decisions blindly claiming, “I’m living by faith”?
Too many people have said, “I’m living by faith,” when what they meant was “I’m following an impulse and doing it blindly.”
Illustration: I was criticized for not building the new auditorium sooner.
I was not stepping out in faith.
Ignorance is not faith.
Ignorance does not foster faith.
Ignorance is not a substitute for faith.
Ignorance is never a virtue.
Instead, information is a tool that the faithful use whenever possible while seeking God’s direction.
David trusted God to deliver him from Saul, but he also trusted the information that Jonathan brought him.
God places us in positions in which we have to make choices.
In those choices He certainly knows what direction is best for us, but He does not simply tell us what to do.
Instead, He uses those decisions as opportunities to grow us in maturity and wisdom.
Maturity and wisdom involve the capacity for sound judgment.
For that reason, seeking God’s leading usually requires the exercise of sound judgment.
The simple truth is that informed judgement are usually sounder that uninformed ones.
Do you want God’s will?
If you are already yielded to Him, obeying Him, fulfilling your duties to the best of your ability, and praying about your choice, then the next thing you need to do is to inform yourself.
The information you gain may be exactly the instrument that God uses to disclose His direction in your life.
Application questions:
What sort of information might you need to make a choice about a career?
About purchasing a home?
About choosing a spouse?
About choosing a church?
What sort of information should a church have before deciding to relocate or build a building?
Before deciding to start a school?
Before deciding to call a pastor?
How could you legitimately gain the information that you need for the above choices?
Seek Godly Counsel
Does God know exactly the choices that will bring the greatest good into your life?
Does it always seem that way?
“Sometimes the choices God has for us do not result in the greatest apparent good, especially in the short run.”
Explain?
God knows who He wants you to be, and He knows which choices will bring you that goal.
Is God able to lead us into making those choices?
Verse?
In what ways did God direct people’s paths in the Bible?
Special revelation.
Does God direct our paths through special revelation?
Sometimes, when the Bible specifically speaks to the choice we must make.
Can God direct us in non-revelatory ways as well?
What kind?
One of the ways God leads us to right choices is through godly counsel.
What Solomon says about nations is also true of individuals: without guidance we are in danger, but deliverance can be found in the abundance of counselors.
Proverbs also reaches us that where people fail to seek counsel their plans are often frustrated, but counsel from multiple sources helps make good plans.
Good counsel results in workable plans.
Relying upon many counselors results in safety.
NOT seeking counsel is the mark of a fool!
Does God want us to seek counsel when we make decisions?
What kind of decisions can we make without counsel?
Red tie or the blue one?
(some husbands need good counsel from their wives in this area!).
We may not need counsel for ordinary, mundane choices.
When it comes to the big choices we should not make a decision without gaining counsel.
If we want to get any help from counsel, we need to choose wise and careful counselors.
What can happen when we receive bad counsel?
Bad counsel caused disaster in the life of Rehoboam!
We should not expect to receive good counsel from people who are only going to tell us what we want to hear.
We should also beware of counselors who only tell us what THEY want us to hear.
What is the danger in that?
A pastor may be tempted to give counsel that only helps the church or himself personally!
However, if a pastor know his people, his God, and his Bible, he ought to be in a position to offer sound counsel.
Does good counsel involve telling people what they ought to do?
Should you make people’s decisions for them?
When is the only appropriate time to tell people what is God’s will for their lives?
When a clear biblical requirement is at stake.
What is the main responsibility of giving good counsel?
To help people think through the decisions that they must make.
We should guide people through the various considerations that ought to inform their decision.
What are the various considerations that we should point out to help people make their decision?
Biblical principles
Any circumstances that could affect their choice
Help people understand their own personal giftedness, abilities, and proclivities that might shape their decisions
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