Untitled Sermon (2)

Title- Consider Your Ways

Passage-

Attention-

When you are traveling somewhere new clear directions are vitally important

Whitey in the hood

Adoption

Immigration office in Milwaukee

There was some road construction and I was quickly told about this construction and that it would come up on us quick and that the alternate route was easy to miss if you weren’t ready

We totally blew by the correct off ramp

Had to stop for direction

Guy inside was no help

Called a friend that worked not too far away

Was not in a safe area

Directions are important, good directions are priceless

It is even more important, in my opinion, that when you realize you are lost that you get directions ASAP…make the correct adjustments and get moving on the right path

I believe that this is true in our spiritual lives as well

Introduction

I believe that when we read here that David was encouraged in the Lord it means that he repented and turned his faith back to God

Remember, David has been living with his faith placed upon himself

He has made a disaster of things

He sees the consequences and takes the faith he has placed on himself and places it back on God where it belongs

How does that work?

We need to seek after God and pursue him

The Christian life is not “let go and let God”

The Christian life is look to the Lord and work toward the direction He is directing you

Like rowing a boat

You can let the wind blow you or you can row the boat

“Let go and let God” is being blown where the wind blows

What the Christian life really is would better be modeled by knowing your destination and using the oars to get there

There is input by the Lord and effort by the Christian

What is the main driving point (CPS)?

Friends, we were not created to live a life of solidarity but a life of dependance upon the Lord

Why does the CPS matter, what is the consequence?

Look at the life of David over the past few sermons and we get a picture of the consequences of self-sufficiency

This week we see David turning back to the Lord and the consequences of that decision.

Transition

Read verses 1-8

The first consequence of turning back to the Lord is that we receive...

I. Direction (1-8)

Explain

As we saw last week, David had been living life just ahead of the consequences.

And we also saw that we can only stay ahead of the consequences for so long

David had to face the consequences when they returned to Ziklag

Verse 6 tells us that these men that had been loyal to David all that time were ready to stone him.

The reality of his choices caught up to him.

So David repents and places his faith back in the Lord

We see that in verse 7-8…he turns to the high priest and asks for the Ephod

And using the Ephod he inquires of the Lord what he should do.

Who is David looking to for direction in these verses? The Lord

Remember 27:1 David is consulting who? Himself

Bridge to today

We do the opposite of this, what David has been doing the last couple weeks, all the time

And without thinking.

Which is the problem, we get comfortable and complacent and that leads to self-reliance

It happens to everyone, if you are breathing this happens to you

Relevance

The challenge is to be able to step back and think...

To take things to the Lord before you act.

To not only place your faith in Him but to keep your faith in Him

Why does this matter?

As we saw last week, to place our faith in ourselves and not the Lord will lead to disaster in our lives.

We need to keep our faith in the Lord so that when decisions come we either know from exerience or time in His word what to do

Or we humbly understand that we need to go to Him for direction

James tells us that if we lack wisdom that all we need to do is ask

Go to the Lord in prayer…pour out your heart to Him

Search His word…actively seek out His will for your situation

Consult His people…look for other mature (not just older) Christians

Maturity comes through experience not just age, age helps but is not all that counts

tells us that we face trials to be able to use those experiences in the lives of others

Transition

Read 9-15

The second consequence of turning back to the Lord is that we receive...

II. Clarity (9-15)

Explain

The Lord told David to pursue after the Amalikites but was not given a specific location to go to.

Through common sense David knew a general direction to go but was not given specifics

Regardless of how much David knew, he obeyed

Verses 9-10 He stepped out in faith that the Lord would lead him

Verse 11…It just so happens that they come across an Egyptian mercenary who had been fighting for the Amalekites

It just so happens that he gets sick and left behind and knows where they are headed

David get the man food and water…this guy was dehydrated and hungry

David questions him and and finds out that he one of the men in the raid and asks if he can take him to them

I think at this point the Egyptian realizes who he is talking to

As you can assume he is probably expecting to die and therefore begs for mercy from David

Bridge to today

We talk a lot about luck and coincidences in life.

Things just happen to be

Like this Egyptian…David just so happened to stumble upon him

No, it was no coincidence…David did not just happen to stumble upon him

The sovereign Lord of creation worked in circumstances to bring clarity to David’s situation

Now, hear me out…We find God’s will in His Word and through His people

Circumstances can bring clarity to the already revealed will of GOd

We do ought to be careful to determine the will of God on circumstances alone

His Word and the principles we find in it are of priority

Then comes the counsel of His people

Circumstances can clarify what is already revealed

Relevance

We need to start the walk of faith in order to allow the Lord to bring us to a point of clarity...

For David it was God’s will to pursue the Amalekites but it was through this Egyptian that David recieved clarity

Why does this matter?

The main idea here is that once we have a direction from God we often need to get moving before we get clarity

It could have to do with your responses in your relationships

Your finances

Your response to sin

College

Marriage

Work

Areas of ministry

The Lord will give you a direction, you need to start pulling the oars to get there, and along the way the Lord will bring clarity.

Transition

Read 16-19

The third consequence of turning back to the Lord is that we receive...

III. Victory (16-19)

Explain

After turning to the Lord for direction and stepping out in faith and finding clarity from the Lord through the Egyptian David in the end has victory

Not just victory over his enemy but notice verse 18-19a…they were able to recover EVERYTHING

There were still the scars of battle and the experiences and memories of the situation leading up to this but God gave victory.

It wasn’t until David turned his focus off himself and turned to the Lord that he began to see victory in his life

Bridge to today

The battles we face in this life are quite different than what David faced but the principles still remain true

As we face trials and difficulties in our lives, it is only when we keep our focus on the Lord that we will experience the grace, peace, and joy that we are seeking.

Relevance

I honestly believe that this is what people are seeking, they are turning to all this world has to offer as a substitute.

But there is no substitute.

Why does this matter?

Deep down withing is we all have an emptiness…a desire…a hunger for something, and we often are not able to put our finger on it

The reality is that they are in need of the grace, peace, and joy that only comes from the Lord

When you substitute works or achievements for grace

or love for peace

or happiness for joy

We are setting ourselves up for failure and misery

Achievements, love, and happiness are the worlds substitute for grace, peace, and joy.

We can manufacture some level of achievements

Or love

Or happiness

But eventually they all fade away

What the God of creation gifts us with through His Son Jesus Christ is lasting

Grace, peace ,and joy come from the Father through the Son.

These cannot be manufactured

They are gifts given when you turn to the Lord and obediently walk in faith with Him.

Conclusion

We do not need to figure out this life on our own, we were never meant to...

We were created to journey through this life along side our creator

Sin made a mess of that...

But Jesus Christ died so that the relationship we need most is available

He died that we could once again have a relationship with the creator

Now in this life through the Holy Spirit and in the future in His very presence.

Challenge to act now (your part)…immanence

If you have never admitted you need of the savior because of your sin problem we would love to take God’s Word and share with you how that relationship can be restored

Challenge to act now (your part)…immanence

Visualize Audience Implementation

Christian, you still need the Lord

The gospel is not just your ticket into heaven

The Gospel is the means by which you are now able to fulfill your ultimate purpose…to glorify God

That is what is missing in the life of unbelievers and Christians that have turned to self for the answers to life

The substitute for God’s glory is to glory in yourself

That will never produce joy or peace

Only a active relationship with God the Father can do that

Final Statement

Where is your focus

Is it on pleasing God or pleasing self?

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?

Closing Hymn