May 11, 2002
Mothers Day
Morning Service
Text: 2 Timothy 1:5; Proverbs 3:5-6
Subject: Divine Guidance
Title: Genuine Faith, Going God’s Way
Happy Mothers Day!
Mothers are a gift from God. How many of you know that were it not for your mother, you wouldn’t be here today. Moms have a special way of bringing out the best in their children don’t they? It’s too bad that we don’t always live up to the standards that moms attribute to their kids. For mothers tend to think that their children are the best and can do no wrong.
That, of course, is Mom’s thinking when she is telling others about her children. We also know that no one ever wants to incur mom’s wrath. There has never been any series of words that are more spine tingling than to hear your full name called out by a mother who has just found out about your most recent oopsie. Didn’t you ever wonder how they did that? You thought you had cleverly covered your tracks so well that even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t figure out whodunit. But somehow the great detective, your mother, broke the case wide open and now you have been accused, tried, and sentenced with the sound of those words, Dennis Michael Rickman, get in here right now!
For many of you the legacy your mother gave you is more than just an earthly relationship with one who loves you. For many Mother was the beginning of your walk with the Lord. Maybe you had a "drug" problem. Every Sunday morning you were drug to Sunday School and church. You were drug back again on Sunday night. You were drug once more on Wednesday. Thank God for mothers who inflict that kind of drug abuse on their children.
Moms, you have influence over your children. The things you teach them, as children will revisit you in your old age. The spiritual lessons you hand down will equip them for living the Christian life. You can’t make them live it but you can prepare them for it.
2 Timothy 1:5, "I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also."
The genuine faith Paul speaks of here is a faith that was handed down through the generations to Timothy. It was saving faith and it was the faith to rely on God in every situation that might come his way. Proverbs 3:5,6 says, "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."
That’s the kind of faith that was handed down to Timothy.
That is the kind of faith that believers today need to have. Let’s dissect this passage and see what we can gather from it.
I. God provides guidance. The Hebrew word translated "trust" actually refers to a refuge - a place you can go to be confident, bold, or sure.
Where is that place that Proverbs tells us to go to?
In the Lord! Trust in the Lord. Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." For the Christian this passage has special meaning. Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." But it is not an automatic. Only when you seek guidance will you find it. "In the Lord’. On his second missionary journey Paul wanted to travel to Ephesus, a center for occult activity, and the Holy Spirit said, "No!" Ephesus wasn’t ready for the gospel yet. Later, Paul wanted to travel eastward in to Asia. Again the Holy Spirit said "No!" Why? Paul was to go the other direction, into Europe. The vision of the man from Macedonia confirmed it. The Holy Spirit was guiding Paul because he sought guidance. Remember last week when I told you about yellow and red lights in the spirit? In order to receive those you have to be receptive to the Spirit.
"With all your heart." If you have given your heart to Jesus Christ He now reigns in our life. He, in essence, sits on the throne of your heart dwelling in you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus restored communion with the Father that was lost whit the sin of Adam. Now the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you that communion in you. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
II. The enemy of your soul (Satan) will offer guidance. The Bible describes two supernatural sources of guidance. The Holy Spirit and demons - deceiving spirits. The Holy Spirit always does what? He guides. (Repeat: "the Holy Spirit guides." He never forces anyone. Demonic spirits always push; trying to gain control of your mind. "Lean not on your own understanding." It might be faulty. (Proverbs 14:12) "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Not every supernatural act comes from God. I Timothy 4:1, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons " The OT says that all who are involved in occult activity are to be cut off from God’s people and stoned. The NT states that those who practice the occult will not see the kingdom of God.
"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable practices, the Lord your God will driver out the nations before you."
Christians are distinctly prohibited from any of this type of activity. No fortune telling, witchcraft, magic, divination, mind control, hypnotism. Christians are forbidden from any type of spiritism (the belief that natural objects have indwelling spirits).
No séances, spirit guides, Ouija boards, ESP games, trances, clairvoyance. Any attempt to see the future outside the Holy Spirit is sin. Because King Saul had sinned he no longer heard from God. As a result he went to the witch of Endor. The result was that the next day Saul and his sons were killed in battle.
The difficulty lies in that many times we have forgotten what the voice of God sounds like. We are ready to accept anything supernatural.
III. We can recognize God’s true guidance. How do I know that? Romans 12:1,2, " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." I like the way the NIV says this, "Then you will be able to test and approve what God?s will is." As we move farther away from the world and closer to the kingdom, we grow in our ability to know God’s will.
We recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit.
We learn by our mistakes.
We fall down, we get up.
We line it up with the word of God.
Ways not to receive guidance.
Relying on a personal prophecy from someone else.
That doesn’t guide but confirms what God is speaking to you.
Opening your Bible and pointing a finger at a verse.
A story goes that there was a man who wanted to know the will of God for his life. He opened his Bible and pointed to a verse. It said, "Judas hanged himself." Not believing that this was God’s will for his life he tried again. "Go and do likewise." A third time he tried. "What you do, do quickly."
Putting out fleeces. I know the Bible says that Gideon did it. But Gideon already knew God’s will and needed confirmation.
Casting lots. The disciples cast lots to see who would take the place of Judas. But that was before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Some spiritual guidance is conditional.
If you trust in Him and acknowledge Him in all your ways, He shall direct your paths. Isaiah 58:11, "The Lord will guide you continually." But go back to verse 10, "If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul." The gift of prophecy in a church setting may give guidance. "Let two or three prophets speak and let the others judge." (I Corinthians 14:29)
I Thessalonians 5:20,21, "Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast to what is good." Does the prophecy line up with scripture? Is it in line with the entire body of scriptural teaching? Does it condemn or edify? Which should it do? What is the lifestyle of the person giving the prophecy? Are they living questionable lives?
IV. Three avenues of divine guidance and how to use them.
aThe Bible
Psalm 119 gives us clear indications that the bible is to be used to direct us. Verse 9, "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word." Verse 11, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Verse 105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
The Holy Spirit. As Christians we must recognize the inner voice of the Holy Spirit. It is the same voice that led you to salvation. Not often does guidance come through dreams, visions or audible voices. Those things do happen, but it is not the norm. Remember that God will never contradict His word. Don’t look for "special revelation" beyond the revelation given in the bible. That inner witness varies with different people.
A man was on the edge of a mountain and falls. Somehow he manages to grab on to a small tree that was growing out of the side of the mountain. Hanging on precariously he shouts, ’Is anybody up there?"
A voice comes back, "Yes, it’s God. I’m up here."
"God what should I do?"
"Trust Me and then let go. I will catch you.’
After a pause the mans says, "Is there anybody else up there?"
Once we have that inner witness of the Spirit we must act on it.
Shortly after we were saved I felt impressed to begin a bible study at our church in order to teach people about salvation. It was confirmed to me through Charlotte who felt the same leading, and confirmed by some friends who were experiencing the same thing,
When I felt the call to ministry it was a gentle nudging in the right direction but was really confirmed once again by my wife.
Dennis Bennett, of the Episcopal Church said, "If you have the word without the Spirit you dry up. If you have the spirit without the word you blow up. If you have the spirit and the word you grow up."
We can be guided by our circumstances. Before the days of radar, when ships were coming into a dangerous harbor, three beacon lights needed to line up in order to make it safely to port. If our circumstances are to be a beacon, they must line up with the word and the Spirit. When we felt the call to come to Palmyra we sent a resume to the district offices. That was in March. The prompting of the Spirit was there. The word of God lined up (I was to be a witness to the ends of the earth.) But the circumstances didn’t allow us to come. That is until six months later when we cam and preached the first time. We thought the district was missing God but we see now that God was waiting for the time to be right.
Conclusion.
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.
If God said He will direct us He will. And He gives us those ways to know His will for our lives. We don’t have to move blindly hoping we are doing the right thing. If we make a mistake we get up and dust ourselves off and go again.
Now, one more point. If we are going nowhere with God we can be assured of getting there. God can’t direct us if we don’t want to move. There is no reason to turn on the light if you are just going to lie in bed. But when we start moving forward in the Spirit we can rest assured that He will lead us. He said he would.
Mothers, grandmothers, on this day that is set aside to honor you, you need to know something. God doesn’t just want you to raise your kids up in your church experience. He wants them to experience Him on their own. What was good enough in church for you may not do much for your kids. You still have influence. Encourage your family to experience Christ and His church for themselves. Not the same way you did, but in their own personal way. Teach them to trust God to direct their paths.
