Headed in the Right Direction
Proverbs 3:1-10
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - May 28, 2008
*The Bible regularly describes the Christian life as a walk. In Romans 6:4 Paul tells us to “walk in newness of life.” In 2 Corinthians 5:7 he said “we walk by faith, not by sight.”
*The Christian life is a walk, but are you walking in the right direction?
-Many Christians are not. Many of us know people who used to be in church every time the door was open. They used to come, teach, serve and give, -- but now they don’t.
*I wish this Christian walk was a one way street, but it’s not. Some people are headed in the wrong direction. How can I head in the right direction?
1. First, remember God’s Word. In vs. 1-2 God speaks to us as a Father, and stresses the importance of His Word.
1-My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands;
2-for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.
*God says: “Don’t forget my Word. -- Let your heart keep my commandments.”
-Your heart: That’s your whole inner-man: --your mind, emotions and your will. And when God talks about keeping His commandments, it’s the word picture of guarding His Word, -- keeping a close watch over His Word so it can touch your heart and transform your habits.
*The Bible is not just for getting us to Heaven.
-It will give us the best possible life down here.
-It will help you with your family and your finances.
-It will help you grow up and help you grow old.
-It will bless your children and build your character.
*That’s why vs. 3&4 say, “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.”
*Mercy and truth represent our good character -- me at my best as instructed by the Word of God. But that can’t happen, if I only come to church once a month. That can’t happen if I haven’t read my Bible in months. God’s Word is so important, that we ought to study it every day. What’s keeping you from God’s Word?
*Robert Summer told the amazing story of a man from Kansas who was severely injured in an explosion. His face was badly disfigured. He was blinded, and he lost both hands.
*This man was a new Christian, and one of his greatest sorrows was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. He sadly discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. But one day, as he brought a Braille page to his lips. His tongue happened to touch a few of the raised letters and he could feel them.
*He thought, “I can read the Bible using my tongue.” -- And by the time his story was written, that man had read the whole Bible four times with his tongue! (1)
*Amazing! He lost his eyes, but he never lost sight of the importance of God’s Word.
2. To head in the right direction remember God’s Word. -- And rely on God’s guidance. As we see in vs. 5&6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
*Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Put your total confidence in Him. Sometimes that can be scary, because God doesn’t let us see into the future. -- But God has promised to guide us, and He will.
*He wants our maximum trust. And He deserves our maximum trust, because He is always holy and good. He never lies. And He loves us beyond measure. Jesus Christ loves us so much that He died on the Cross for our sins. And now the Risen Savior says: You can trust me -- today, tomorrow and forever.
*We can trust God to guide us. But church, this doesn’t mean we will always agree on everything. That’s important to know as we consider the final decision on a new children’s building.
*Paul and Apollos are a good Biblical example for us. Of course we know a lot more about Paul than we do about Apollos. But we do know that Apollos was a good man. Acts 18:24-27 tells is that Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures. He was a great speaker; was passionate about God; was a great help to the believers. Apollos showed that Jesus is the Christ.
*But he didn’t always agree with Paul. In 1 Cor 16:12 Paul wrote, “Concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.” We will not always agree with each other, but we can always trust God to guide us.
3. To head in the right direction rely on God’s guidance. -- And give proper reverence to God. As we see in vs. 7-8: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.”
*“Fear the Lord” -- There’s the proper reverence for God. Bruce Howell reminds us that this word “fear” in the Old Testament has a word picture of trembling.
(1) To tremble at the thought of being punished by a holy God for our sins.
(2) To tremble at the sight of the mighty acts of God.
(3) To tremble with joy at the knowledge that people were being saved. (2)
4. Proper reverence: To head in the right direction give proper reverence to God. -- And repent of your sin. Again in vs. 7, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
*The more we remember God’s Word, rely on God’s guidance and give proper reverence to God, the more we will repent. We will see things in our lives that are not pleasing to God, and we will be motivated to turn away from our sins.
5. To head in the right direction repent of your sin. -- And respect God through generous giving. As we see in vs. 9-10, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
*That word “honor” has the word picture of something “heavy.” -- In this case, good and generous gifts for God. When He talks about giving our first fruits, He’s talking about giving our best to God. And we should, because God has been so good to us!
*Vs. 10 promises great reward if we give God our best, but that’s not the main reason we should give Him our best. We should give Him our best, because He has given us His best -- His Son Jesus Christ!
*God has blessed us to be a blessing to other people. I know we’re paying $4 a gallon for gas and that stinks. But the truth is that we’re better off than almost everybody else in the world. Becky’s mission team has 10 more days in Africa after today. Here is her prayer request for June 3:
“Today, we will probably be painting a new orphanage construction. One out of every three adults in Lesotho is infected with HIV, leaving many children orphaned. Pray not only for these children, but pray for those suffering the ravages of this horrible disease.”
*God has blessed us to be a blessing to other people. That’s where we should be headed in life. And we will get there if we will:
-Remember God’s Word
-Rely on God’s guidance
-Give proper reverence to God
-Repent of our sin
-And respect God through generous giving.
(1) KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 14705 - SOURCE: Fredericksburg Bible Illustrator Supplements - TITLE: He Read It With His Tongue
(2) SermonCentral sermon “Happy Birthday America” by Bruce Howell - Psalm 33:1-22
