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The Way that Seems Right Unto Men
Text: Proverbs 14:12; Jude 11
Theme: The Christian's motto must be semper reformanda always reforming.
It is a lifelong duty to conform one's belief's to the Word of God, to always be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
In the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade the intrepid adventurer Indiana Jones is searching for the Holy Grail the cup that Jesus supposedly blessed and drank from during the Last Supper.
Of course the Nazis are hot on his heals every step of the way, and eventually catch up with him forcing Indiana Jones to work for them.
When they finally find the cave that holds the chalice, they discover that it is guarded by a Knight from the First Crusade, who has been miraculously kept alive for 900 years by the power of the Grail.
The problem is that the true Grail is hidden among many false cups, and they have to make a decision which cup is the true Grail?
The Knight informs them that they must choose wisely.
Drinking from the true Grail will bring them everlasting life, but drinking from one of the false cups will bring them death.
One of the Nazis, chooses a golden, bejeweled cup that he is sure must be the true Grail and drinks from it.
But he suddenly realizes that the Grail is false, and he dies a horribly gruesome death right before everyone's eyes.
At that point, the Knight utters the best line in the whole movie: "He choose ... poorly."
All of us, every day, make decisions.
Some of those decisions have little if no real consequences in life:
Do I have Tuna fish or egg salad for lunch?
Do I buy the fire-engine red or the pearl-white automobile?
Do I get the 160 gigabyte or the 300 gigabyte hard drive in the new computer?
Do I watch ABC or FOX news?
Do I cut the grass this evening or wait until tomorrow?
On the other hand, some decisions have huge consequences in life:
Where will I go to college and what degree will I pursue?
Do I join the military or go into the secular work place?
What do I do as my life's vocation?
Where will I live?
Who will I marry?
These decisions are a little bit more important, and if you choose poorly, can adversely affect you for a lifetime.
Solomon was a man who, when God promised to grant him anything he wanted, asked God for wisdom.
God did grant Solomon wisdom, and much of it comes to us through his Book of Proverbs.
But, for being such a wise man, Solomon still made some very poor decisions.
There were times when he gave in to the flesh, and made decisions that were guided by his human spirit rather than the Holy Spirt.
Those decisions that Solomon made while he was under the allurement of his flesh seemed right to him at the time.
But I believe that in Solomon's later years he looked back and realized that apart from God, our decision-making processes, even though they appear right at the time, will eventually and ultimately lead to destruction.
And that is what caused him to write this proverb.
Solomon teaches us that there are ways pathways in life that seem right to us, but which in the long run are not.
How do we make wise decisions in life?
Let me give you some help by giving you some diagnostic questions to ask yourself.
I.
QUESTION #1: What Does the Bible Say About It?
1. since the Bible compares our life here on earth as walking along a pathway, we need to make sure that we can see where we are going
ILLUS.
Driving down Hwy. 100 at night at 65 MPH with your headlight off is, at the least foolish, and at the worst, deadly.
2. the same could be said by living life without the illumination of the Word of God
"Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path."
(Psalm 119:105 NLT)
3. making major life decisions without referring to the illuminating Word of God is almost like trying to put something together without referring to the manual
a. men are especially prone to do this, I know I am
b. the phrase some assembly required makes our wives shutter at the thought of what is about to ensue
c. how many times, guys, do we get whatever-it-is all put together and looks great, but then we realize we have some parts left over?
1) what that should tell us is that it isn't put together the way it was designed to, and it might be unstable
4. making life choices without consulting the Bible can lead to a very unstable life because you are not following the Creator's instruction manual
a. there are many things in this life that aren't 100% guaranteed, but I can tell you with 100% assurance that if you are faced with a choice that contradicts the Bible, then it is NOT God's will for your life
b.
I have repeatedly told you from this pulpit that God has an opinion about every area of life
1) the goal of Christian maturity is to discover what God thinks and conform our life to it
c. the Christian's motto must be semper reformanda "always reforming"
1) this was a phrase that came out of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century
2) it is a lifelong duty of the Christian to adjust one's belief's and behavior to the Word of God
3) we must always be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ so that we might have the mind of Christ
d.
God's will for your life and His Word will never contradict themselves
5. so what happens if I don't find a solid answer in the Bible?
a. what should you do in those cases?
b. that's where the rest of our diagnostic questions come in
II.
QUESTION #2: Am I Willing To Pray About It?
1. let me just say first, praying and searching the Bible should go hand in hand
2. God recognizes that we don't know everything
a. but God is omniscient, which means He knows everything
3. the reason some of us don't know what to do is because we never took the time to ask God
"If you need wisdom if you want to know what God wants you to do ask Him, and He will gladly tell you.
He will not resent your asking."
(James 1:5)
ILLUS: Ladies, have you ever been on a road trip with you husband and gotten lost, but your husband insists he knows where he is.
Guys, why do we insist on spending 2-3 times longer trying to find the way ourselves instead of pulling over and asking someone who knows?
4. if you don't know the answer ask
a. as far as God is concerned, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask
III.
QUESTION #3: Do I Have an Uneasy Conscience about It?
1. before we really get into this area of conscience, we need to understand what our conscience is
a. it is not Jiminy Cricket whispering in our ear
b. it is not an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other that helps us weigh our choices
c. and it is vitally important not to confuse our conscience and the Holy Spirit
1) everyone even the lost person has a conscience, but only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have the Holy Spirit
2. our conscience is an internal mechanism that God implanted in us to provide some kind of moral restraint upon His creation
a. our conscience functions upon a value system that we have adopted for ourselves
1) the question is what do you value?
2) as Christians, we are to value the things of God His will, His agendas, His commands, His ways, His statutes
3. that's why seeking God in prayer and in His Word is so important, because it is His value system that we will learn as a result
a. if your conscience is not illuminated by and guided by the Word and the Spirit you will undoubtedly make poor choices in life
b.
that is why Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth"My conscience is clear, but that isn't what matters.
It is the Lord Himself who will examine me and decide."
( 1 Corinthians 4:4)
4. if after looking in God's Word and seeking God in prayer, you have an uneasy conscience about something, that could be an indicator not to choose a particular pathway
IV.
QUESTION #4: Could this Decision Have a Negative Affect on Me or Someone Else?
1. the decisions and choices we make not only affect us, but those around us
ILLUS.
This was King David's great blunder, was it not?
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