Unintended Destinations

Bunbury

Wed pm

5/10/2011

“Unintended destinations”

Intro: *** I heard about an airline in Africa that took its passengers to a wrong destination altogether. The passengers boarded thinking they were going to one place but due to a communication error somewhere in the boarding process the flight actually went to a different destination. The airline had to fly back to the right destination getting an angry plan load of passengers to where they should have gone several hours late!

It’s not so bad when you have a flight heading in the wrong direction but its disastrous when you have a life that ends up at the wrong destination.

A destination that was never intended but nonetheless arrived at!

The Bible is filled w/ the accounts of people who ended up at the wrong destination …..

T.B.S. of Saul ….

1 Samuel 31:4 ( NKJV ) 4Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.

Gehazi is another prominent example of a man who ended up at the wrong destination through disobedience…..

2 Kings 5:27 ( NKJV ) 27Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

Bearing in mind that the W of God is filled w/ these accounts what action should we take?

We’d be wise to check our spiritual compass & make sure from time to time that we are on track & continually heading towards the right destination.

I want to preach t/n on ‘unintended destinations’.

Text: Judges 13:3-5 ( NKJV ) 3And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.

4Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean.

5For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Judges 16:18-22 ( NKJV ) 18When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 19Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. 21Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

# 1. Decisions – the pathway to destiny.

A. The decisions we make lay a pathway to our ultimate destiny.

a. Most of the time we don’t think about the incredible impact of our daily decisions.

i. We often traffic in the decisions of life w/ great carelessness failing to comprehend the weight our decisions carry.

ii. Our approach in the decision making process is often quite flippant / lax when we consider the great impact those decisions may ultimately bear upon our lives.

iii. We can be making choices which are laying a pathway w/o the appropriate degree of concern.

iv. As God’s people we need to u/s that our lives are moving irreversibly towards destiny we need to make the impt choices of life w/ great sobriety.

*** The old adage written by Samuel Smiles is hauntingly true!

Sow a thought and you reap an act;

Sow an act and you reap a habit;

Sow a habit and you reap a character;

Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

b. Every decision you make is edging you towards your eventual destiny.

i. So the all impt question is – based on your decisions, what is your destiny going to be?

ii. Your choices in life are not just neutral steps ….. they are like paving bricks in a road that you are constructing – a road that is going to lead to your destiny!