I have gleaned from many different sources for this sermon and to those sources I say thank you - the Lord knows who you are - God Bless.
Compass of Life
Have you ever seen a compass? There are 8 main directions. North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West, North-West.
Even though there are 8 directions, the compass ALWAYS points north. The Bible is our compass for life and it ALWAYS points in one direction – UP.
Proverbs 3:1-12
I. Bible Always Points us to Morality. (Verse 1-2)
Compass keeps you moving in the right direction, you don’t put it in your pocket.
The Bible is our moral guide for life. This Proverb begins with an admonition: My son forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. The admonition brings the head and the heart together. It is not enough to have God’s Word in our heads; we must be like the Psalmist who said that he had hidden God’s Word in his heart.
It was not easy for an Old Testament Jew to forget God’s Word. He was required by law to write Bible texts on doorposts of his house.
When he went out the texts on his doorposts called out after him: “Where are you going? With whom will you be? What business are you transacting? Be mindful of your conduct. Guard your conversation. Watch out for your character. Listen to your conscience. God never sleeps.”
When he returned home, the texts on the doorposts cross-examined him: “Where have you been? What have you been doing? Examine yourself. You cannot get away from God.”
We may remind ourselves of Bible verses we have memorised, but even so, God’s Word can be pushed from our minds in the hustle and bustle of life. Peer pressure, the demands of business, and other distractions can join forces to crowd God’s Word out of our minds. But when God’s Word is in our hearts, it will always hold centre stage.
II. Bible Always Points us to Kindness. (Verse 3)
To get God’s Word into our heads only involves a learning process, but to get God’s Word into our hearts involves a love process.
When the mind is engaged in an issue the motive is “I have to.”
When the will is engaged in an issue the motive is “I ought to.”
When the heart is engaged in an issue the motive is “I want to.”
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Here Paul tells us that we must display spiritual graces instead of soul destroying grudges. We must forgive others, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as God has forgiven us for what we did to Him, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bitterness and anger will wreak havoc in homes, churches and friendships.
God forgave us when we trusted Christ, and yet we find it so difficult to forgive others. If someone has hurt us, either deliberately or unintentionally, and we do not forgive him, then we begin to develop bitterness within, which hardens our heart.
We should be tender-hearted and kind, but instead we are hard-hearted and bitter. We are not hurting the person who hurt us; we are only hurting ourselves. Bitterness in the heart makes us treat others the way Satan treats them, we should treat others the way God has treated us.
In His gracious kindness, God has forgiven us, and we should forgive others. We do not forgive for our sake or even for their sake, but for Jesus’ sake. Learning how to forgive and forget is one of the secretes to a happy Christian life.
III. Bible Always Points us to Truth. (Verse 4)
John 18:38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
This was a flippant question by Pilate in the fact that he did not wait for an answer. The world’s religions and philosophies have debated that question for centuries. Today we are told that truth is relative.
Jesus stood before Pilate as the answer to that very question. He was the truth (John 14:6), absolute, perfect, clothed for all to see in flesh and blood. Then and there Pilate could have slain all his doubts, put his fears to rest, embraced Christ and entered into the truth. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
With a touch of cynicism Pilate shrugged off the magic moment. It never came again as far as we know. He simply dismissed the Lords statement..
A small boy was on the witness stand in an important lawsuit. The prosecuting attorney cross-examined him, then delivered, he thought, a crushing blow to the testimony. "Your father has been telling you how to testify, has he not?" "Yes," the lad replied and did not hesitate with the answer. "Now," said the lawyer triumphantly, "just tell us how your father told you to testify." "Well," the boy said modestly, "Father told me the lawyers would try to tangle me in my testimony, but if I would just be careful to tell the truth, I could repeat the same thing every time."
IV. Bible Always Points us to Trust in God. (Verse 5)
TRUST is the key word. God is utterly dependable. His character makes it impossible for Him to lie. His wisdom is so great He can never make a mistake. God can be trusted. His love is limitless, He can never be unkind. He will never let us go, never let us down and never let us off.
We can trust Him. We must trust Him. We must trust Him with all our heart. He expects us to trust Him even in the darkest of times, and He expects our trust to grow.
The word translated trust means “to lie helpless, facedown.,” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general.
The danger of course is that we lean on our own understanding and thereby miss God’s will. This warning doesn’t suggest that God’s children turn off their brains and ignore their intelligence and common sense. It simply cautions us not to depend on our own wisdom and experience of others.
Abraham did this when he went to Egypt (Gen 12:10-20)
Joshua did this when he attacked the little town of Ai (Josh 7)
When we become “Wise in our own eyes” then we’re headed for trouble.
V. Bible Always Points us to Seek His Will. (Verse 6)
Recognise Him as Lord. In ALL your decisions – seek Him
The will of God is revealed in the Word of God. Colossians 1:9-10 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [10] That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
The only way to know His will is to study His Word and obey it.
The will of God is an important part of a successful Christian life. God wants us to know His will (Acts 22:14) and understand it (Eph 5:17). God is not a distant dictator who issues orders and never explains.
As we study His Word and pray, we discover new and exciting truths about God’s will for His people.
In the language of the New Testament, to be filled means to be controlled by. When we are filled with anger, we are controlled by anger. When we are filled with the Spirit, we are controlled by the Spirit. Paul is telling us in Col1:9 for us to be controlled by the full knowledge of God’s will.
We understand the will of God through the Word of God. Paul did not encourage the Colossians to seek visions or wait for voices. He prayed that they might get deeper into God’s Word and therefore have a greater wisdom and insight into God’s will.
In the Christian life, knowledge and obedience go together. There is no separation between learning and living. True spiritual wisdom must affect the daily life.
First wisdom, then walk, then work. I cannot work for God unless I am walking with Him; but I cannot walk with Him if I am ignorant of His will. The believer who spends time daily in the Word and prayer will know God’s will and be able to walk with Him and work for Him.
VI. Bible Always Points us to Obedience. (Verse 7)
Compass points North and never moves – the steel moves (pointer) People have things in their lives that lead them in different directions.
Fear = Honour Him, Acknowledge Him, Reverence Him for who He is.
When we trust Him, the Lord takes care of all aspects of our lives.
VII. Bible Always Points us to Financial Wisdom. (Verse 9-10)
Tithing is Required by God.
Wealth – Money, Time, Talents.
Honour – First – all
Tithing is rewarded by God.
God will bless those who honour Him (Luke 6:38)
You do not know this verse is true until you give.
If we don’t faithfully give to the Lord, we don’t really trust the Lord. Of course our tithes and offerings aren’t payment for His blessings; rather they’re evidence of our faith and obedience.
VIII. Bible Always Points us to Discipline. (Verses 11-12)
Bible says to accept God’s discipline; it’s for the Father’s love. Rev
When we are disciplined / chastened, we are being shaped etc.. Gold in fire – impurities are being removed.
Chastening is part of God’s plan to help us mature in godly character (Heb 12:1-11). God chastens us, not as a judge punishes a criminal, but as a parent disciplines a child. He acts in love and His purpose is that we might be partakers of his holiness (Heb 12:10).
Sometimes He chastens because we have rebelled and need to repent; other times He chastens to keep us from sinning and to prepare us for His special blessing. No matter how much the experience hurts us, it will never harm us, because God always chastens in love (Deut 8:2-5)
Conclusion:
Stop living in a fantasy world in violation of God’s Word. Look at the Compass and follow it.
Value of following God’s Compass
1. Days more productive (Verse 2a)
2. Peace added to you (Verse 2b)
3. Find favour with God and man (Verse 4)
4. He will direct your path (Verse 5-6) can’t choose a better path
5. Healing to your body (Verse 7-8) fear, guilt, dept, drink, drugs, Bible has answers
6. God will energise you (Verse 8b)
7. Father’s plenty (Verse 9-10) – there’ll always be enough
8. Fathers loving correction (Verse 11-12)
