STEPS ORDERED BY GOD
Ps. 37:23-24
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: QUIZ FOR THE DAY
1. Say "silk" five times. Now, spell "silk." What do cows drink? If you said "milk", please do not attempt the next question. Cows drink water. Your brain is obviously over- stressed and may even overheat. If you said "water," then proceed to the next question.
2. Q: Twenty years ago, a plane was flying at 20,000 feet over Germany. If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany. Anyway, during the flight, TWO of the engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing. Unfortunately, the engine fails before he has time and the plane crashes smack in the middle of "no-man's-land" between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors - East Germany or West Germany or in "no-man's-land?"
3. A: You don't, of course, bury the survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you must NEVER try to rescue anyone from a plane crash. Your efforts would not be appreciated.
B. TEXT
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
C. THESIS
1. We’re going to look at what these verses mean, and see the special way God guides our lives – especially believers – and what the final outcome will be.
2. The title of tonight’s message is “Steps Ordered By God.”
I. The STEPS of a Good Person
A. STEPS IMPLIES PROGRESS
1. Steps (def.) – “a movement made by lifting your foot and putting it down in a different place.
2. “advance, progress.” When God says ‘He will order our steps,’ this implies that we’re advancing in Christ, that we’re attempting to make forward progress.
3. “You can’t steer a parked car,” someone said. The only way to progress spiritually is to attempt to put the Word of God into practice in some area of our lives, that we haven’t done yet.
4. Prayer, reading the Word, witnessing, giving, etc.
B. STEPS IMPLIES A SMALL DISTANCE
1. Step = “the distance covered in one step.” “Steps” refers to small movements.
2. Jets go hundreds of miles per hour, cars can fly down the road 70 mph, but humans on foot have to take one small step at a time.
3. If you’ve ever had to walk from a broken-down car, you know how incredibly long it takes to walk, just from the church to Walmart! 30-45 minutes!
4. It’s slow-going spiritually too. We usually want to know the end at the beginning, but only God knows that. He usually leads us one small step at a time. This requires trust.
5. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path.” A lamp or flashlight can’t illuminate the whole journey ahead, but only one small area right in front of the feet. God doesn’t usually illumine the entire path.
C. HUMOR
1. There once was an elderly lady named Betty who went to a famous “walking therapy” Doctor because she was so bent over when she walked.
2. The doctor’s waiting room was packed with patients when she arrived. At last her name was called. She slowly made her way -- completely bent over – to the inner offices, leaning heavily on her walking stick.
3. When she returned to the waiting room 15 minutes later -- to everyone’s surprise -- she came briskly out walking almost upright. She was holding her head high and had a smile on her face.
4. A woman friend in the waiting room exclaimed, “Betty, it's unbelievable. You walk in bent over double and now you walk out erect. That doctor must have worked a miracle!”
5. Betty said, "Miracle, shmiracle! He just gave me a longer walking stick!"
II. The Steps of a GOOD Person
What makes a person qualify as a “good” person?
A. WHAT BEING GOOD IS NOT:
1. A person isn’t ‘good’ just because they don’t use drugs, get drunk on alcohol, or act promiscuously.
2. Nor are we good because we are property owners or Law-abiding citizens or have an educational pedigree. Jesus Himself, when addressed as “Good Master,” replied, “Who is good but God alone?” In Him is no sin! But us – that’s another matter.
3. “There is none righteous; no, not one” Rom. 3:10. Our best righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6), so how can WE be good?
B. HOW WE CAN BE MADE GOOD
1. Rom. 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
2. And in 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”
3. You see when a person gives their life to Jesus Christ, trusting in Him for His salvation, they become a brand, new person in Christ.
4. “The blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin;” that being the case, we qualify as “good” in Christ!
III. Are “ORDERED” by the Lord
A. GENERAL PROVIDENCE
1. God directs the affairs of both the visible and invisible realms. He presides over the nations and mysteriously guides their paths for the highest good of all.
2. He also directs, for good, as far as He is allowed, all human beings. Lost people don’t cooperate with His will and He has to allow the natural consequences of sin to be played out on their acts of disobedience.
3. But for those who will cooperate with His will, God can guide them into much better paths. He does this two-fold: by His Word and by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
4. “Order my steps in Your Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me” Ps. 119:133. The Psalmist realized that closely adhering to the Word of God would result in his freedom from the domination of sin!
B. SPECIAL PROVIDENCE
1. HE GUIDES US
a. As our Guide He goes before us. If we are sensitive, we can tell if He halts or turns aside from the direction we are going.
b. Paul was obeying a missionary call, but the Holy Spirit, when Paul tried to enter Mysia, and then Bithynia (Acts 16:7), the Holy Spirit said, “NO!” So Paul obeyed.
c. We need to stay with our Guide and not think, just because a difficulty arises, that God is no longer there. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” We need to stay the course & stay close to our Redeemer.
2. HE DIRECTS OUR STEPS
a. By His Holy Spirit He directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good people. “I will give you the desire of your hearts.” “Young man, follow your heart.”
b. Prov. 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
3. THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE – TO LEAD
Rom. 8:14 says, “For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” If you want the Lord to order your steps, you must be led and filled with the Holy Ghost.
a. Rick Potter told how when he was hang gliding behind a power boat his first time, at the dizzying height
of 2,500 feet, the rope tether to the speed boat snapped.
b. Rick was initially scared to death, but the hang-glide pilot reassured him it was alright.
c. Rick then could enjoy the spectacular descent safely back to earth in great spirals -- one of the most exhilarating adventures of his life.
C. GOD ALTERS EVENTS FOR OUR GOOD
1. By God’s Providence, He overrules the events that may be destructive to us, and orders events that will help
us grow spiritually.
2. This doesn’t mean that He orders only good events. We must be exposed to a wide range of tests and experiences in our lifetimes, to be prepared for higher service.
3. Many of those experiences will be losses and hardships, but those things are necessary for our spiritual growth and maturation. There will be times you will face problems, obstacles, setbacks, sickness, pain, disappointments, heartbreaks and failures.
4. But we must trust the goodness of God; He knows what He’s doing and in the end everything will work out “for the good of those who love the Lord, who are the called according to His purpose.”
5. I’ve often used the analogy of a cake. All the ingredients aren’t good in themselves, but the overall product, the cake, is sweet in the end. So it is with life’s trials.
IV. WHAT IF YOU MESSED-UP GOD’S PLAN?
1. Every once in a while, a good person will get side-tracked in sin. Throughout the Bible, many good people got sidetracked and messed up.
2. For example, Noah was a good man, but he got drunk. Moses was a good man, but he killed a man. King David was a good man, but he committed adultery. Peter was a good man, but he swore and cussed.
3. You too may have gotten side-tracked and messed up. Rom. 3:232 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
4. But the good thing is that when you have messed up and sinned, God “will not utterly cast us down, for the Lord upholds us in his hand!”
5. When you mess up, God’s not going to cast you away. If you ask God for forgiveness, He will forgive you and give you another chance.
6. God’s like the potter whose vessel was marred during formation. Instead of throwing it away, he remolded into another vessel! No matter how bad you’ve messed up, Jesus Christ is able to straighten up your life.
Just let Him wash you by His blood and make you clean!
7. Ps. 37:24 says, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” God makes allowance for our mistakes and holds us up. Praise God!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Ellie Braun lives in Canada. She decided to go see her mother in the next city. Snow had started coming down with a vengeance. The still small voice inside said, "Head for home now!"
2. Not wanting to disappoint her mother, she kept driving. After the visit she decided to head home. It took 3½ hours to make what should have been a 1½ hour trip.
3. Halfway home, the inner voice said, "Turn off the exit and sleep at your brother Don's house." "No I want to get home," I kept on thinking.
4. Then a hair raising event unfolded. Just past Don’s exit, a vehicle pulling a camper lost control and careened across the meridian, aiming straight for her vehicle.
5. “I couldn't believe my eyes. There was no place to go and nothing I could do. I could only watch mesmerized and HOPE my vehicle could get out of his way before impact.”
6. Luckily his vehicle flew past missing her only by inches but showering her car with ice and snow. “All I could say was ‘Oh my gosh!’”
7. “I learned a valuable lesson that day that when that small voice speaks to me, I need to listen!”
B. THE CALL
1. It’s a wonderful truth that “The steps of a good man/ person are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
2. Thank God that we little sheep have a Great Shepherd, who guides our lives. It’s so awesome or comforting that He is shaping the events of our lives. We don’t have to fear tomorrow. He holds tomorrow!
3. Do you need guidance on some decision you’re trying to make? Do you need wisdom on some situation?
4. Are you sorrowful about how your life has turned out? God can still turn it around and make your life beautiful.
5. Let’s all commit ourselves to cooperating with God’s will for our lives. Maybe you need courage to face the future. Let’s ask Him for strength!
