Decisions (5)

Good morning, CHURCH!

(Opening joke)

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class.

As she ran, she prayed, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late! Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late!’

While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell.

She got her clothes dirty and tore her dress.

She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again!

As she ran, she once again began to pray, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late.

But this time she added another prayer.

“And dear Lord, please don’t shove me either!’

Are you ready to be equipped today?

Let me see your Bibles.

Let’s go to the book of James 1:5 ESV for this week’s wisdom Vaccination.

This Week’s Wisdom Vaccination James 1:5 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

As smart as we are in 2022, we still lack wisdom in relation to what God knows.

But the great thing about it, is that God gives it generously to us all.

But we must ask for it.

We are in a series titled:

Decisions

In this series we’ve been talking about how our decisions to disobey God have caused our brokenness and cause broken relationships in us and others close to us.

This is why here at FFM we are on a mission to equip God’s people by any means necessary.

We are all on a journey to complete and total restoration.

We are on a journey to inner healing.

We are on a journey to inner freedom from all the bondage that has mis-shaped us in our thought life.

Last week we gave out a list of things that we can do to aid in our decision-making process.

1. Begin with prayer.

2. Explore all options.

3. Seek biblical wisdom.

4. Seek godly counsel.

5. Trust God in your decision.

6. Be flexible if needed.

Finally, when your decisions turn out for the best, give God the praise for your success.

As we close this series on decisions, I want us to look into Jesus’ mindset and actions when it came to making important decisions.

Sometimes it seems as if we think that because Jesus was God in flesh, he used foreknowledge to make all his decisions.

But the scriptures tell us that he can feel what we feel when we go through things because he has experienced human emotions like us.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

It’s like Jesus is looking down from heaven at us and saying, “I feel you.”

Please listen. You may not currently be facing any tough decisions, but the time will come, for we all have to face decisions from time to time.

So, even if this is not you today, file it away for a day of need.

Here is what i’ve come to know. There is quite often turmoil inside of people when they are faced with important decisions.

Decisions like, what job to take.

And I’m referring to when they have options.

And this is especially true when they have experienced problems at a job before.

They want to avoid problems in the future at all costs.

And what if you’ve had a horrible experience in a relationship.

It started out great and ended explosive.

You may still want to give relationships a chance, but you don’t want to experience what you did before.

How do we trust in the Lord with all of our heart and keep from leaning towards our own understanding.

Seeing that our own understanding has gotten us into the messes we’ve been in before.

Today’s message title is:

God helps us in our decisions

There are some examples in the Bible where tough decisions had to be made and God guided the people involved into making the right decisions.

Maybe we can learn something from their examples that will help us to lean not to our own understanding.

Point #1

God still speaks

Do you remember when Ananias had to decide whether to go lay hands on Saul or not.

Let me give some context to the story.

Acts 8:1-3 ESV

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

The legend of Saul continues in chapter 9.

Acts 9:1-2 ESV

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men, or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Now you tell me what Christian would want to go looking for Saul and lay hands on him.

Acts 9:10-12 ESV

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

Decision time.

Should I go or just say, “I must have been tripping.”

God, this can’t be you because i’ve heard about this dude and how much evil he’s don’e to your saints at Jerusalem.

But look at verse 15.

Acts 9:15 ESV

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

We know that Saul had heard an audible voice when he encountered the Lord, but this was not an audible voice that Ananias heard.

But he knew when the Lord was speaking to him.

And we have got to get to the place where we know when the Lord is speaking to us if we want to make the right decisions.

So, in this instance God spoke to Ananias to aid him in his decision-making process.

Let’s look at another instance.

Point #2

Just look up

Do you remember when Abraham had to decide whether to take his own son’s life or not.

This is one of those decisions you can’t afford to get wrong.

A little context.

(Gen. 22:1-2) After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

God was testing Abraham’s love to prove whether he would love his son more than love obeying God.

Genesis 22:9 ESV

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

So, it looks as if Abraham has set out to obey the Lord.

But how many times have we started in obedience but when it got tough we changed mid course.

Genesis 22:10 ESV

10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

So, we see here that Abraham had decided to obey God.

And look what happened when he decided to obey God in even the toughest of decisions.

Genesis 22:11-12 ESV

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

God worked the situation out for his good.

I can see Abraham saying, “Won’t He do it.”

So, in this instance God not only spoke to Abraham but aided him in his decision-making process by providing a ram in the bush.

All Abraham had to do was to listen and look up.

Let’s look at one more instance.

Point #3

Dreams and Visions

Do you remember when Joseph had to decide whether to dump his fiancé or move forward with the marriage relationship.

Context!

Matthew 1:18-19 ESV

18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Looks like Joseph had decided to cancel the wedding.

He wasn’t going to embarrass her but she tripping, talking about the Holy Spirit came upon her. “She capping”

But wait. I said God helps us in our important decisions.

Matthew 1:20-21 ESV

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

So, we see that in this instance, when Joseph was facing a tough decision God spoke to him in a dream.

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

(Closing illustration)

So, it doesn’t matter if God has to speak to you like He spoke to Ananias.

It doesn’t matter if God has to provide a ram in a bush like He did for Abraham.

And it doesn’t matter if God has to give you a dream or a vision like he did for Joseph.

God will aid you in making the right decision at the right time because he is just as invested in your decisions as you are.

If you’re watching online or here in the room, I have a very important question to ask you.

What is Holy Spirit saying to you right now?