Direct and Protect

So we are starting a new series today that will end up taking us all the way through the summer. It is entitled, “Guardrails” you know what a Guardrail is even if you don’t drive because you see them when you drive to Prescott, flagstaff or see the barriers that separate traffic. A Guardrail is “a system designed to keep vehicles from starting into dangerous or off-limit areas.” You normally find guard rails in three areas, anyone know? Bridges, medians and curves.

On bridges so we don’t go off the bridge, medians to protect us form on coming traffic, and curves because we don’t always know what is going to happen around the bend. Now Guardrails accomplish two main things. The Direct us and Protect us. Guardrails are not placed in the danger zone, they are placed in the safety zone. And just outside of the danger zone or a little far off, so even if there was no guardrail we could drive closer to the edge but we don’ why? Because there is a guardrail there. No one argues with the logic about placing the Guardrails in the safe zone.

But not just that Guardrails are designed to minimize damage. The damage done when hitting a guardrail is minor to what would happen if you went off the cliff, the bridge or on coming traffic. This is why we are talking about this. The Highway isn't the only place we need Guardrails.

Now here is why we are talking about this because it might be true for you now, i know it’s true for your coaches, or it will be true someday. Your greatest regrets in life could have been avoided if you had Guardrails in your life. From 6th graders this means you could avoid regret, to my graduating seniors your about to move out and Guardrails will protect you from the damage done. What is you had relational Guardrails, moral Guardrails, friendship Guardrails, financial Guardrails, habit Guardrails, the list goes on and it could and would protect you form going over the edge if you begin to apply this series.

The challenge as we will talk about is that “Culture doesn’t encourage Guardrails.” In fact culture doesn’t care about Guardrails or rules of any kind. rather they are content with painted lines. More suggestions that allow you to go wherever you want even if that means you go off a cliff. And if you put up guardrails in your life others around you will not encourage you or even understand why you are doing what you are doing. We hear this one…date when you feel like you are ready…but when and what makes you ready? Now this one might now apply to you now but it is an example, after a beer commercial what do you hear? Please drink responsibly…but when do you cross the painted line between responsible and irresponsible and can a drunk person tell? Or the worst one of all time, culture says be the real you…what does that even mean? Just listen to your heart, I don’t know about you but my heart has told me to do a lot of dumb, hurtful and regrettable actions in my past. Culture hates guardrails but then it doesn’t do anything to help us when we find ourselves in a ditch.

In fact I would go so far to say our culture tells people to not put up guardrails of any kind in your life unless it is a guardrail that protects you from being a Christian. If you think I am lying just go look on social media, tik tok especially in fact we will do a series in the fall for high school called, “tik tok theology” don’t miss that. But they will try to get you to put up guardrails that keep you from following Jesus because following Jesus makes you…put guardrails up to protect you from harmful, hurtful, sinful, regrettable…anyway.

So here is the point, if you decide to follow Guardrails you will not be celebrated, but you will have fewer retreats. This is nothing new to life or human life as a whole in fact the old and New Testament talk about setting up boundaries or Guardrails for you life and my life. Today I want to take you to a passage that the Apostle Paul write in Ephesians 5. Where he just outlined things you should do and shouldn’t do. Then he goes into the application point of this whole thing. How do you not end up in a ditch, how to do you actually apply these guardrails.

He say this, “be very careful, then, how you live.” So the standard for living as a Jesus follower is to be very careful. This word live in the Greek actually means walk…so be very careful then how you walk. If you have a dog and you have cleaned up after it in a while and you go to your backyard…you are very careful on how you walk. So he’s saying be that careful…be very careful, then, how you live. Not as unwise but as wise.” Being wise, or having wisdom all throughout the new and old testament is the lens in which we are told to make decisions.

Both in the new and the Old Testament we are told that we are to make wise decisions. Hear me, i didn't say right decisions, i didn't say wrong decision, I said wise decisions. Because sometimes we don’t know what is right or what is wrong because those answers may be relative or determined by how you were raised or the morals you do or do not have. But if I were to ask you what is wise thing to do.…what is unwise thing to do…you would have to lie to yourself to answer that question improperly.

So I want to teach you a phrase that will be our Guide to Guardrails this entire series and I hope that you will have it memorized by the time this series is over. In light meaning, in full view. In light of my past experiences, my present circumstance, and my future hopes and dreams…what is the wise thing to do? This is what I mean, if you were to look at your past and think of you regrets, times you got into trouble, moments you wish you had back, mistakes you have made. How can you learn from those and apply the changes you wish you made, apply the guardrails you wished you made and now have learned from, and as you look to the future you want to create, the future you you desire to become, the husband, wife, friend, co-worker, Jesus follower that you want to be in the future, what is the wise thing to do today that helps me avoid another mistake, and helps me become who I want to be. What is the wise thing to do.

So Paul says, “be very careful, then, how you live. Not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.” Meaning to be careful with the time that you have. All of us have time right now, and we have had time in the past but we do not know how much of it have left, so walk carefully and be careful with the time that you have left. You already know what happens when you don’t pay attention to your time so ask what is wise.

be very careful, then, how you live. Not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. Because the days are evil. Paul is saying we are living in dangerous times, maybe you have noticed it before which means you can’t afford to be careless. Many of you just got out to school so let me ask you have any of you ever been in detention before and it wasn’t just for being tardy. Sometimes you made a mistake, sometimes you reacted to a mistake, others you stopped someone from making a mistake and you were blamed for it. One time in high school Christopher Gaboldon stole a girls phone in class, he had a $10 bill on the desk so I took his money and said, give back her phone or the money is mine. She told the teacher he took the phone, he gave it to her went to the front office and as he was leaving I gave him his money back.

Well he gets suspended for 5 days because he already stole peoples stuff multiple times. Well 2 weeks after the event I get called up to the front office by the principle. They ask me if I took Chris’s $10 when he took the phone. Turns out he told his mom this and she told the office that I stole his property so why was her son in trouble and I wasn’t. So they gave me 5 days of lunch detention for it…which I was told by the athletic director that I’d didnt have to serve any of them they were going to put me down as present at each lunch to appease the mom. Any way, the point of detention is learning to pay attention to not only what you are doing, but what everyone else around you is doing as well.

This is Paul’s point. be very careful, then, how you live. Not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. Be careful how you live because if you are not careful you will end up finding yourself in a place that you do not want to be. When you learned how to drive if you drive the #1 rule is to keep your eyes on the road, and on the other drivers. Thats Paul’s point, you live in a culture where it is not enough to only pay attention to what you are doing but pay attention to what other people are doing, what other people are asking, what other people are inviting, what other people are wanting you to believe and what other people are offering you. Pay attention set up guardrails.

Therefore do not be foolish…do not live your life as if your past doesn’t impact your present or your present wont impact your future. Don’t live your life as if there will be no consequences to your actions because listen addicts never thought they would be addicts the first time they said yes. Bad relationships always have red flags that you ignore. Do not be foolish to think you are smarter than the rest of other peoples experiences.

Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. The idea here is to face up to, embrace, to know, to stop deceiving yourself, to stop pretending as if you don’t know what wisdom is. You know yourself, you know where you live, you know the times we are living in, you know what excites you, you know so at least be honest with yourself and face up to what you know is wise and if you are a Christian face up to what God’s will is for your life.

You know what you need to do to ensure that you do to ensure what you outta do. You know where you are dancing on the line, where you’re flirting with disaster, you’ve had some close calls, your parents have almost caught you..you know because you know you.

Then here is what the apostle Paul does he give us an example, a which leads to example. Meaning he gives us an action, that leads to something else. Do not get drunk on wine which leads to…Now here is something, especially for jhigh and high school, the guardrail here would to not be near the temptation of alcohol. If it’s present at the party you're not present at the party. But lets fill in the blank, “Do not _____ you fill in the blank. Do not be alone with your phone which leads to…do not be alone with your dating partner which leads to…do not hang around that friend which leads to…do not overspend which leads to…do not go onto incognito mode which leads to…do not enter into a relationship which leads to… do not compromise on your faith which leads to…do not what is it for you because the apostle Paul says…which leads to debauchery. Meaning you cannot control yourself, or your urges which leads to destruction.

You see, Guardrails safeguard us from handing over control of our lives to someone or something else. They keep you form being mastered by anyone or anything on this earth. Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. The new testment teaches that when you become a Jesus follower the Holy Spirit resides in you, and resides in your conscience. So Paul says instead of giving over control in your life to anyone or anything submit yourself to the Holy Spirit. And when you do the Holy Spirit fine tunes your conscience to a whole different level. You are about to send that text and the Holy Spirit goes….you're about to mouth off to your parents…you really want to send that Snapchat…you really going to google that…you really going to steal that…you really going to drink that…it’s being filled with the Holy Spirit and then doing what he says.

So this is what Paul says, 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Over the course of the summer we are coming back to this over and over and over again. Wisdom will be the anthem of 2022 summer. Because listen, no body ever plan on wrecking their life, just as much as no body plans on wrecking their car. But if we do not being to set up guardrails in our life it will happen. So here is what I want to leave you with tonight. Guardrails Direct us and they protect us. They are for us in the long run even if they feel like they are against us in the moment.

So one question to think about…where do you need Guardrails. Go to your groups to discuss.