Resolutions for 2009--Part II
Proverbs 3:1-10
Introduction: Well, we are now a full week into 2009 and I’m guessing we have begun to settle in, and with the exception of writing the wrong date on our
checks, 2009 seems much like 2008. Even so, I would like to continue with our study in Proverbs 3 of FIVE resolutions that I think each of us should make for
2009. We looked at a couple of them last week, and we are going to finish them up today.
Each of these resolutions is paired with a reward. If you do this--then God will do that. I don’t think we should have to receive a reward in order to do the
things God wants us to do, but I am thankful that God blesses us when we are obedient to Him.
Let’s review the two resolutions that we talked about last week:
Resolution # 1
I will get in the Word and stay in the Word (1-2)
1 My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being.
There is no substitute for studying the Word of God. Each and every one of you needs to be reading the Bible as an individual, and you need to be involved in
some sort of Bible study with other believers. If you aren’t you are short-changing yourself and others. I know that God is going to bless you if you resolve
to get in and stay in His Word in 2009.
Our second resolution had to do with relationships...
Resolution # 2
I will get serious about commitment to God & others (3-4)
3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and man.
If you want to be a person of real influence then commit your life fully to Jesus Christ. Once you do that He will teach you and enable you to be committed
to your relationships with others. I realize that commitment isn’t a high prized quality in our society anymore, but why don’t you and I change that! Why not make 2009 a year of commitment--to Christ, and to others.
Let’s move on to our third resolution...
Resolution # 3
I will give up control of my life to God (5-6)
Resolution:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 think about Him in all your ways,
Proverbs 3:5-6 is a passage that teaches the importance of Lordship. We don’t talk a lot about the "Lordship" of Christ, and the reason we don’t is because we aren’t willing to truly submit our lives fully to Him.
Let me illustrate how we often handle the Lordship of Christ. Suppose a person believes that Jesus died and rose again to save them and accept Him as their Savior. Then suppose that person is going to be baptized. Just as they are getting ready to go under the water they realize that they forgot to take their wallet out of their pocket so as they go under the quickly grab their wallet and hold it above the water.
Do you see my point? It’s not about the actual wallet; saving your wallet from getting soaked is a natural and appropriate response. But I wonder as we consider Jesus’ Lordship, if are there things that we remove from our life and hold above the water and say, "God, you are Lord of all my life except this."
When we do that, you have to realize that He is either Lord over all of our life or He’s not Lord at all.
There is no way around the fact that this scripture says that we are to trust in the Lord with ALL our heart...and that we are to think about Him in ALL our ways. ALL means ALL. ALL never means SOME. And yet, we SOME times allow Jesus to be the Lord of our lives.
One of the most powerful verses on Lordship is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Turn with me to Romans 12.
1Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
I have heard people say over and over again that they wished they knew what God’s will was for their life. Well, the reality is if you want to know you have to be willing to give up control of your life to Christ.
To apply what Proverbs 3:5 is saying, we must Trust Him, we must Think about Him. Not just when it is convenient, or when you are facing some crisis, but every moment of every day. That is the essence of Lordship.
Here’s a simple image to help you remember what it means to allow Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Take a look at a simple bicycle tire. The tire is on the rim on the outside and is connected to the hub in the center with individual spokes. Suppose this wheel represented your life--would Jesus be the hub, or one of the spokes.
Is Jesus the center of your life, does everything revolve around Him? Or is He a part of your life, one of many things that shape who you are? If He isn’t the hub, He isn’t your Lord.
If you are the hub instead of Christ then you are relying on your own understanding instead of trusting in Him. That needs to change. You and I need to resolve to give up control of our lives to Jesus. His reward is simple. Look at what it says in the remainder of verse six...
Reward:
6 ...and He will guide you on the right paths.
Do you want to be on the right path for 2009? Is there anybody else besides me that took some wrong turns in 2008? Well, if you would like a professional guide to help you navigate through 2009 Jesus is available.
Let’s move on to our next resolution...
Resolution # 4
I will learn humility (7-8)
Resolution:
7 Don’t consider yourself to be wise: fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
One of the primary reasons we don’t get Lordship right is because we haven’t learned humility. We are still to wise in our own eyes to understand how little we really know. True humility enables us to have a right perspective on God, on ourselves, and on others. Without it, we simply cannot be who the Lord wants us to be.
One of the phrases that I remember hearing as a kid was: "Don’t be too smart for your own good." I usually heard that from my mother, or one of my teachers when I was getting a little too expressive with my point of view. I discovered what is called the Urban Dictionary online and this is how it defined that phrase:
1. Overconfident or cocky.
2. Believing that you know everything to the point to where it can harm you or work against you.
3. Assuming or Showing knowledge/intelligence to the point where it can harm you or work against you.
4. Believing that you know something you really don’t, which could get you in trouble.
5. It also can be synonymous for the phrase: Too big for your britches.
I heard that one quite a bit as well! Personally, I believe that many of us as Christians are "too big for our britches." We control our lives, and we
believe that we are entitled to everything. Our point of view is THE point of view, and if others don’t like it that’s their problem. Where is the humility in that?
Here’s the problem. If we don’t humble ourselves before the Lord, if we don’t fear Him--which means both to be in awe as well as to be afraid of His great power--then we are going to end up places we don’t belong.
I tried to illustrate biblical fear last week in Sunday School by comparing it to my relationship with my dad. I feared my dad--I respected Him, and was in awe of his character and the way he carried himself. I also feared my dad--in that when I did something wrong he was going to discipline me. As I said last week--I was never "afraid" or "scared" of my dad unless I had done something that I shouldn’t have done.
Let me bring that illustration into our passage here in Proverbs. My fear of my dad kept me away from some of the "evil" that was around me when I was growing up. How did that work? Well, first of all, because of my respect for my dad, because I knew his values and that he had taught us those values, so I didn’t want to do some of those things.
But that wasn’t always enough. There were time when I wanted to do things that I knew wouldn’t be pleasing to him but I didn’t. Why? What kept me from those things? Fear. You know why I didn’t drink when I was in High School? Because I knew that if I got caught drinking my dad would take away the car. I had friends who drank, and there were many times that I took them home from parties, but I didn’t because I liked having a car, and I knew that if I did it would only be a matter of time before I lost it!
How did I know that? My dad said so! When I started driving my dad sat me down and said, "Blake, if I ever find out that you are drinking, you will never drive my car again." That was pretty clear.
So what’s my point? God’s Word is pretty clear about a lot of things. It is filled with things He wants us TO DO, and things He wants us NOT to do. If we are truly humbling ourselves before Him--if we genuinely fear the LORD then we are going to be obedient to His Word and that will keep us away from evil.
I like the reward that comes from humbly submitting our lives to Christ...
Reward:
8 This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.
When we turn from sin and turn to the Lord we experience revival from within. If you are struggling with that "sick" feeling inside, and feel like you don’t have the "strength" to carry on, it may be that you need to humble yourself before God, ask for His forgiveness, so that you may experience again what David called in the Psalms: "The joy of His salvation."
Way too many Christians remain spiritually sick and weak because they aren’t willing to submit themselves completely to Jesus Christ. Don’t you think 2009 should be the time for you to do just that?
Let’s finish up with one more resolution...
Resolution # 5
I will be more generous (9-10)
Resolution:
9 Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest;
There are several words that seem to jump off the page at me in verse 9. What does it mean to "honor" the Lord? At the heart of this Hebrew word is the idea of heaviness, or weight. To "honor" the Lord is for Him to "out-weigh" everything else in your life. To honor Him with our possessions is to acknowledge that because He is our Lord and Master everything belongs to Him and that giving is part of our relationship with Him.
There are some powerful stewardship principles in this verse, and we don’t have time to address them all this morning, but I want to simply encourage you to resolve to be more generous in 2009. Why? Is it because I want you to give more money to the Church? Sure I do! If you aren’t being a faithful giver, then start right now. But that is really only a part of a much bigger issue.
Stewardship is about putting Christ first. Notice that the proverb says, "with the first produce of your entire harvest." Putting Jesus first isn’t just about money. I believe we need to resolve to be more generous with our time, talents, and our treasure.
Is there a reward for being generous? I believe verse 10 says there is...
Reward:
10 then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
I want to live a "completely filled" and "overflowing" life in the coming year and I believe that is possible if I am willing to be more generous. I want to give of myself, and all that have in accordance with all that Jesus has given to me!
Let me close with this verse from Paul’s second letter to the Church at Corinth:
9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.
Listen to how The Message paraphrases that verse:
9You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us--in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.
I have experienced first hand the generosity of Jesus, now I want to learn to be generous as well. How about you?
