Principles Of Decision Making

INTRODUCTION

• John Maxwell shares the following story. The personal manager had advertised a job opening, and a large group of applicants was waiting in her waiting room. The first young man was ushered into her office, and she began explaining the job to him. “We need someone in this job who can make fast decisions,” she said, “someone who can really think on his feet. Can you show me that you’re capable of doing that?” Without a word, the young man got to his feet, stuck his head out the door, and announced to the waiting applicants, “Okay, you guys. You can all go home- the job’s just been filled.”

• That was a quick, risky decision!

• Today we are going to deal with a subject that each one of us deals with each and every day. Several times a day we are called to make decisions.

• SLIDE #1

• Life is about making decisions. Each day we all have to make decisions. Some of the decisions we make are of little or no consequence. What am I going to eat for breakfast, what car will I drive to work.

• Other decisions can be life changing or life ending. Am I going to go to that party, then drink and drive home?

• Am I going to take that person up on their offer that would cause me to commit adultery?

• Am I going to smoke that first cigarette, something that will have an adverse affect on my life span?

• How many people do you know who have ruined their lives or ended them because they made a bad decision? How many people do you know who when they reach a crossroads in their life, they take the wrong turn and end up regretting it.

• Do you know people who seem to always make good decisions in life? What was the difference between those who seem to make wrong harmful choices verses those who more times than not to get it right?

• Making good decisions in life can be very tough and sometimes very confusing.

• Today we are going to look at some of the principles we can see in the life of Jesus that should help us to make better decisions in our lives.

• Today we will look at five principles we can glean from the life of Jesus.

• SLIDE #2

SERMON

I. JESUS UDERSTOOD HIS PURPOSE (LUKE 19:10)

• It is difficult for us to make good decisions without a sense of personal destiny, without a sense of knowing where we want to go in life.

• Jesus knew what His purpose was for being here and would not allow Himself to be knocked off track, even as painful as it was going to be.

• We make a lot of our bad decisions because we do not have a sense of purpose or a sense of knowing where we want to go in life.

• I know early in my life I made some choices that shut some doors of opportunity for me. Had I thought out my decisions based on what I wanted to do in my life at the time, I would hope I would have done things different.

• Jesus had a keen sense of His purpose.

• SLIDE #3

• LUKE 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

• SLIDE #4

• MARK 2:17 And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

• These are but a few verses where we can see Jesus knew what He was here for.

• How did this affect His life choices?

• There was a pretty good sized segment of society who wanted Jesus to overthrow the Roman governmental control, but Jesus decided not to do that because it did not line up with the purpose of His life.

• Many people wanted to make Jesus a King, (John 6:15) but Jesus refused to let that happen because that choice would have interfered with what He knew He was called to do.

• Jesus made decisions as to who He would spend time with based on what His life objectives were. The religious leaders did not like Jesus because He spent time with the “sinners”, but as Mark 2:17 said, Jesus came for those who were spiritually sick.

• I had a friend who I went to Bible College with who was in my Jr. High youth group when I taught in my home church. Phil (now since married) went through Bible College single.

• Phil was the type of young man I would have allowed my daughters to date. He was a SOLID Christian who had a great personality and was a nice looking young man from a good family.