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INTRODUCTION:
This past week our staff went down to Livingston Texas for a staff retreat.
Throughout the course of those 3 days we did some strategic planning for 2022.
The most important thing we did, however, was be refreshed in the Lord and commit ourselves to his plans for Broadview Baptist Church.
This is the second year in a row that we’ve done staff retreat at the very beginning of the year and I was struck by how helpful and clarifying some of the times of worship really were.
The first day of the retreat we had a time of worship to center ourselves on the Lord and put ourselves in a position to hear from him.
As we were worshipping and praying I thought to myself the things we were doing to prepare for a new year is really something every individual would benefit from if they committed themself the to the process.
The truth is, God wants to reveal himself to you.
He wants you to know the path he has set out for your life.
But in order to draw near to God you have to come to him on HIS terms and not YOURS.
Knowing God’s Will
Have you ever had a season of your life where you really needed to hear from the Lord?
In our day and age there are all sorts of Christian books and sermon series on “discerning the will of God… “ or learning to “hear God’s voice...”
It’s not uncommon for me to get asked questions such as, “how do I know its God’s will for me to move to xyz, or attend this or that college…marry this or that person...”
At the beginning of a new year it’s not uncommon for people to feel the anxiety of uncertainty … especially in these post COVID-19 days.
How am I going to live life without x person at my side?
Now that I’m retired what are things going to look like?
I’m married… we just had a kid… just lost a job/got promoted?
With each new season or challenge comes an added desire to hear from the Lord and KNOW that the Lord is with you and you are walking in accordance with his will.
It’s one thing to know God’s revealed will or his moral will.
Those are given to us in Scripture.
We have the Law of God written on our heart.
But what about those other matters?
Can you be confident that God is with you and for you as you move forward in things that “don’t have a Bible verse?”
The answer is yes.
But the way for discovering that will and the way it comes about is maybe not what you would expect..
The blueprint is laid out in Psalm 25.
Who This Message Is/Isn’t For
Before we read our text, let me offer up a qualifier about who this message is and isn’t for.
This Psalm and the wisdom within it were written to people who have come to trust in the Lord and are fully surrendered to his will for all things.
Discovering the will of God will only happen in your life when you’re coming from a place of absolute surrender.
This is NOT a message for people who say “I want Jesus to forgive my sins and help me go to heaven when I die but I really don’t know about this business of “absolute surrender.”
Jesus really doesn’t have any business telling me what I can and can’t do with my money/body/children/etc. I’ll take the free ticket to heaven but I don’t want Jesus having control of the major areas of my life.
For that person this Psalm is a warning!
It’s a warning against our tendency towards self-control and self-reliance.
We don’t twist God’s arm to have him rubber stamp our plans.
We humble ourselves and do whatever we can to advance HIS plans.
But what ARE the plans of God for what we watch on TV or where we work or who we marry or the hobbies we have or places we live or cars we drive or clothes we wear or strategies we employ for a new year in the local church.
If we are totally surrendered to what God’s wants, how do we go about discovering the pathway to bring it about?
That’s what David is addressing in this Psalm.
That is who this sermon is for.
Psalm 25 (CSB)
Of David.
1 Lord, I appeal to you.
2 My God, I trust in you.
Do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me.
3 No one who waits for you
will be disgraced;
those who act treacherously without cause
will be disgraced.
4 Make your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
I wait for you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your compassion
and your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, Lord.
8 The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth
to those who keep his covenant and decrees.
11 Lord, for the sake of your name,
forgive my iniquity, for it is immense.
12 Who is this person who fears the Lord?
He will show him the way he should choose.
13 He will live a good life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The secret counsel of the Lord
is for those who fear him,
and he reveals his covenant to them.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he will pull my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
17 The distresses of my heart increase;
bring me out of my sufferings.
18 Consider my affliction and trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider my enemies; they are numerous,
and they hate me violently.
20 Guard me and rescue me;
do not let me be disgraced,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and what is right
watch over me,
for I wait for you.
22 God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.
I want to try and understand this Psalm under three headings...
How To Ask For Guidance...
How The Lord Guides...
How To Receive It Into Your Life...
Be Honest About Your Struggles:
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