Stones of Decision
Bible reference - Ex. 28:15-30
Introduction:
A. Making a decision can be hard. Sometimes, you are between two choices and both seem okay, but you want more than okay, you want the right choice. You want God’s choice. How do you know God’s will for your life?
B. My father told me this past week about when he graduated from Sunset School of Preaching he could either preach in Wisconsin or in Australia. He wanted to raise the support and go to Australia, but a church wanted him in Wisconsin. He wanted to know what God wanted. He and my mom prayed, but there seemed to be no answer. So he decided that he would put God in a coin – that is, he would flip a coin. If it was heads he would go to Australia, tails, Wisconsin. This was more than fate, chance or a simple toss of the coin. This was the will of God. He threw the coin up – watched – it landed. Tails. He was to go to Wisconsin. But he really wanted to go to Australia. Maybe God wasn’t in the coin, or maybe God wanted two out of three. So he tossed the coin again. He remembers the second toss, but not sure which way it fell. He really didn’t believe God would make a decision through a coin toss.
C. But putting God’s will in a coin toss is not really extraordinary. People have tried lots of ways to know what they should do. I remember growing up the fad was the “Magic 8 Ball.” I would ask a question (“does Susie like me?) shake it up and read the answer. (“Yes, without a doubt.”)
D. In the Bible we often read of people “casting lots.” God directed those lots. These people believed that the will of God would be shown in the lots. When God first directed how Aaron as the High Priest was to choose which goat was to be sacrificed and which was to be the scapegoat, God commanded Aaron to cast lots. The New Testament also records that when it came time to choose who should become an Apostle and numbered with the 11 after the death of Judas, they cast lots between two men, and the lots fell upon Matthias.
E. But there was another why to know the will of God. When a very important decision was to be made the High Priest, dressed in his ephod with the stones of each tribe upon it would use the Urim and Thummim that were put into the breast-pocket to divine God’s will.
I. Stones of Decision
A. Wouldn’t it be great to take a couple of stones and use them to know exactly what God wanted you to do? Some say that these words mean “light” and “perfection”. Scholars think these gems were cast to aid the high priest in making important decisions.
B. These stones of decision were either in, on, or by the high priest’s breastplate. Often the breastplate is called the breastplate of judgment or breastplate of decision. Most believe the top part of the breastplate was not sown, making it like a pocket or pouch and the Urim and Thummim were placed inside it.
C. Only a priest could use the stones to discern the will of God. When Joshua succeeded Moses, he was to have answers from the Urim and Thummim through Aaron’s son Eleazar. When King Saul sought direction from the witch of Endor it was because he received no answer from God either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.
D. No one really knows how these stones or gems were used. They seem to be understood without question by the people using them. But the purpose of them was to understand the will of God. Today we don’t have Urim and Thummim to help us know what the will of God is. What we do have is Jesus Christ. “He is our Oracle; by him God in these last days makes known himself and his mind to us. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary)”
E. Heb. 1:1-4 helps us to see that God speaks today through his Son. People have missed the message for centuries. We go looking for God in things, in nature, in mystics and magic. God reveals himself and his will through Jesus.
F. Up on the mountain where Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared. Peter, James and John wanted to make three tabernacles – making Moses and Elijah equal with Jesus. But they missed the message, so God made it clear. A cloud came and enveloped them all. In the cloud God spoke these words, “This is my Son, whom I love, listen to him.” (Matt. 17:1-5)
G. Through Jesus we have come to know the Father. But how can Jesus help us today? Through Jesus we can prayer and God will help us. We also have through Jesus the Holy Spirit who inspired holy men to write down for us the wonderful gift of the Bible. These two gifts from Jesus can be our stones of decision today.
II. Stone of Prayer
A. The Hebrew writer tells us these words (Heb. 4:14-16). There are many reasons to pray. James says, “Is any one of you in trouble? Let him pray. Is any one of you sick? He should call for the elders of church to come and pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:13-4)”
B. When the church faced persecution in the book of Acts, they called the church together and prayed (Acts 4:23ff). When Jesus was in need of strength from his father he would go off alone and pray. Why did Jesus, Paul, the church and people who were sick or troubled pray? Because prayer is one of our ways of discerning the will of Father. You want wisdom? Pray. Pray like you actually believe it will work. Part of our problem in not knowing the will of God is a lack of faith.
C. Think of the life change that will come if you and I will spend more time in prayer. Praying for direction, discernment, and deliverance from evil. As you make your New Year’s resolutions, maybe, just maybe, a more devoted prayer life should top the list.
D. Is there peace that comes through prayer? Yes. Why, because when we actually pray, “not my will, but Thine be done” we let go of control, we let go of the situation, and we let God lead, guide and believe His way is the right way.
III. Stone of the Bible
A. Prayer is wonderful part of our journey towards knowing the will of God. As Christians we are not alone. Prayer will take us to God, but walking in the Spirit brings God into us. When you look at the life of the apostle Paul, you find a man who was guided by the Holy Spirit. We as Christians need to follow the guidance of the Spirit within our life.
B. The Spirit works in many ways. From dreams, to music, to sermons and classes, to spiritual friends and even through worldly people. The Holy Spirit is not limited to just one way of communicating the will of our Father. No matter how you feel, the Spirit’s leading us will never lead us in a way that is contrary to the Bible. Because the Spirit works in so many ways, people can get confused between the Holy Spirit and our own personal desires that can cloud our discernment.
C. Therefore John writes to the church “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)” Paul also warned the churches in Galatia to not turn aside to a “different” gospel. He went as far as to say, ‘Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! (Gal. 1:8)” D. As you make your New Year’s resolutions, maybe, just maybe, a more devoted study of the Bible should top the list.
Conclusion:
A. Urim and Thummim were a great gift. But they were only used by a priest. Today prayer and the Bible given to us by Jesus through the Holy Spirit let each of us have our own stones of decision.
B. Maybe your prayer life is not what you or God would like it to be. Maybe your study of the Bible to know the will of God is shelved too often. Change can come to you. You don’t have live in doubt or fear. You don’t have to face troubles or decisions alone. God has a gift to all who believe – Jesus.
C. Take Jesus today and put him into your life. Accept his grace. Accept the forgiveness that can come through his blood. Accept him today and begin this New Year a Christian. Let us help you accept him today.
