[0:00] Right into 1 Chronicles chapter 12. 1 Chronicles chapter 12 tonight.
[0:13] I feel like I got myself a cup of water and I left to sit on the counter. Samuel. Oh, Gary. Oh. Probably could have beat him.
[0:26] 1 Chronicles 12 is where we want to be. So, as you're getting there, let me just kind of briefly introduce the thought here tonight.
[0:40] And as you go through life, from early on all the way through it, there's seasons of change. And in those seasons of change, it's going to bring about a new beginning.
[0:52] And it could be from just as a child moving into school, into education. It's a new thing. And your whole day changes. From moving on from education, whether it's high school or college, and you're moving into a career.
[1:07] That's a huge change and it's a new start. It's a new place that you haven't been before. It's a new world. Working every day of your life for the rest of your life. And moving.
[1:19] Moving your family or moving locations. Some people have left this church to move to various parts of the country. One recently to Tennessee. One towards San Diego. One to Arizona.
[1:30] And like the rest of California, moving. It's on your radar. I've moved from Pennsylvania with my family to Los Angeles. And it's a new start.
[1:41] It's a huge change in so many ways. We are very familiar with what I'm talking about tonight. When you enter a relationship with a person, it's a change.
[1:51] It's a new individual. A new thing. A new relationship that begins to form. When you enter into a marriage, that's a brand new thing. And it's a new start. And you're proceeding in a new direction.
[2:03] And all these things. And it's not all just good things. I mean, there's tragedies that take place in people's lives that change the course of their life. And they're starting over in some cases.
[2:14] They're starting over new. And so all of these things bring about a new start. And I want to preach tonight a message. I'm just going to call this getting off to a good start.
[2:26] And it kind of sounds a little cliche. I get that. I hear that. Like, get off to a good start. It just sounds kind of weak and watered down even just in the words, at least in my opinion. Maybe I should have made it a little tougher sounding.
[2:38] But that's all I got. Getting off to a good start. Because it really, really, really makes a big difference how the thing's going to turn out based upon how it starts.
[2:51] And if you get off to a good start, you're really increasing your chances of it turning out and being successful. And if you don't get off to a good start, they say getting off on the wrong foot.
[3:02] You don't want that to be said about your life. You don't want that to be said about some new venture in your life, a new career. Boy, he started off on the wrong foot there. That's not what you want. That's terrible.
[3:13] Now you've got to dig yourself out of a mess. You don't want to start your marriage off on the wrong foot, do you? So we want to learn how to get off to a good start, no matter what it is in life. And if we can avoid problems, then let's avoid them.
[3:28] And so let's learn something here. We're going to look at the life of David here, a specific time in David's life. In this chapter 12 and 13 and 14 into 15, this is the account of where he is taking the throne.
[3:41] He's taking the throne. He's established as king over Israel. This is a new chapter in his life and a major change you might consider. What we know of David, he's introduced to us as this shepherd, this lad, this young guy that's a stripling.
[3:57] He's a shepherd over his father's sheep. And then the change, a major change, now he's fighting the Lord's battles. In between there was this thing with the giant. What a transition to taking on the position of fighting the battles of the Lord for King Saul.
[4:13] That was a big change. And then it goes on to his life changes yet again. It takes a turn to where now he's running from that King Saul who's possessed with a devil and wants to see him killed.
[4:24] And that's all he can do is just bent on killing David. And now he's running for his life. And then there's a new day for David. And there's new beginnings because here as we read and study he's going to take the throne that God promised to him.
[4:38] And he's going to get off to a start. And it's a good start. And I want to show you some things that I see in this passage when I was reading through it that I think it can help us to get off to a good start.
[4:48] When we start new ventures and have new beginnings in our lives. It may not be today or tomorrow but it's going to be there. We're going to go through these things. Just times go by. It happens.
[4:58] And it's going to happen. So before we can get really into the account of David I have to give you some setting here. Some backdrop so that we. Because it's kind of leading into the first point. And so in chapter 12 verse 1 we'll begin there where God brings men to David.
[5:14] And David is he's off the grid here still. He's hiding from Saul. He's just staying protected. He's got some men around him.
[5:25] But look in verse 1 of chapter 12 first chronicles. The Bible says now these are they that came to David to Ziklag while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish.
[5:36] And they were among the mighty men helpers of the war. So there's men that we're going to get this account of throughout the rest of the chapter for the most part. That have come or been brought to David.
[5:49] And Saul it says that he's keeping himself close because of Saul. Saul is a paranoid man. He's a selfish leader. He's still God's anointed.
[6:00] And David refused multiple times to lay his hand upon him. If you know your Bible this is why I can't take you to everything. But you need to be reading your Bible. And so I can make these comments and you know exactly what I'm talking about.
[6:11] In 1 Samuel Saul wanted him dead. That's all he cared about. David had opportunity. Even some of David's men said kill him. God's delivered your enemy into your hands. And David said how could I do that?
[6:22] I can't touch the Lord's anointed. He considered himself to be in the wrong if he would have taken. Remember that? Vengeance belongs to God. Amen. We've been studying that. So David kept his hands innocent.
[6:34] Now Saul was paranoid. Saul was coming after David. But there's a shift taking place beginning in this chapter because men, mighty men of Israel, are falling away from Saul.
[6:48] Even as we'll see some of Saul's own family and tribe, they're falling away to David. And David already has 400 men with him.
[6:59] You can read that in 2 Samuel chapter 22 and verse 2. He's got men, it says, that are in distress, men in debt, and men that were discontented. And they came to David.
[7:11] And David welcomed them and they just stayed together and stayed out in the mountains and did what they did for a while. But stayed off the grid. But the number of men that are now coming to David, it is increasing dramatically.
[7:28] And not just the number of men that are showing up wanting to align themselves to David, but the credentials of these men. They're not just the guys in distress and in debt running from a bad situation.
[7:40] These are some high caliber men. Take a look at verse number 2 of the chapter. These are trained men and precise men when it comes to handling weapons. Verse 2 of this chapter says, they were armed with bows and could use the right hand and the left and hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow.
[7:58] Even if Saul's brethren of Benjamin are coming to David. So these guys, they're not just some farm boys that can chunk a rock at somebody. These guys are trained and precise and skilled when it comes to fighting, to the art of war.
[8:16] There's some good guys to have around. They show up and they want to align with David. Isn't that interesting? David's not putting out a poster when he's sneaking into town and saying, come and align with me.
[8:29] No, but men show up. So let's keep seeing this. They're valiant men. Look at verse number 8. And of the Gadites, there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness.
[8:42] Men of might and men of war fit for the battle that could handle the shield and buckler whose faces were like the faces of lions and were as swift as rose upon the mountains.
[8:52] These are like fierce men, special forces kind of guys that are showing up, looking to falling away from King Saul and saying, we're with you, David.
[9:03] These are proven men. Look at verse 15. They have experience in battle. These are they that went over Jordan in the first month when it had overflown all his banks and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west.
[9:18] So they're experienced men that have already been in battle. This is not just some, you know, rough and ready crew. I should have used that last week when I was with Brother Hill, rough and ready. That's where he's from, rough and ready California.
[9:30] Now, these were legitimate soldiers. As we'll see throughout here, these are men that could keep rank. These were men that knew how to follow orders. They were brought up and trained in military operations, even fought battles, and they want to be with David.
[9:42] All right, you getting that? Let's look at verses 17 through 19. David went out to meet them and answered and said unto them, if you become peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you.
[9:55] But if you become to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look upon and rebuke it. There it is again. David, vengeance belongs to God. Now, in verse 18, then the spirit came upon Amasaai, who was chief of the captains.
[10:10] And he said, thine we are, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse. Peace. Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers, for thy God helpeth thee.
[10:21] Then David received them and made them captains of the band, and there fell some of Manasseh to David. And it goes on from there. And then as you get to verse 23 and forward, you're going to see, and you can skim through, you'll see every tribe mentioned.
[10:37] Every single tribe of Israel, all 12, it gives actually 13, saying Levi. And of course, as you know, Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, as tribes. So it describes all 12 tribes plus Levi coming to David and numbers of men that came to David.
[10:56] So God is moving these mighty men by the multitude to come to David. It's obvious that God's doing something.
[11:07] This is a military following that is building and growing. And please get this. It's not that hard to understand. In this day and age, when one king is, well, whether he's strong or not, there's always a fragile element to your kingdom.
[11:25] If somebody gets men following him. It's not like today where people run their mouths on Facebook or get a YouTube video. They're like, these guys, they'll take your head off.
[11:36] They're looking to establish themselves with power. You can look at any time any king takes the throne. Several times, I should say. Even at the end of David's life, somebody's popping up trying to take over.
[11:47] Somebody's popping up over here looking to establish. When Saul left, there was Ish-bosheth. If you read back through there, you'll see that he tried to take over instead of David. And so this was common.
[11:58] Now David's got all these men coming to him. He's getting power. He's growing in military power and force. And he's not even doing it. He's not begging for it. He's not looking for it.
[12:09] It's showing up. And this kind of army carries much weight and much persuasion. So David is obviously recognizing something's happening here.
[12:22] There is a change going on. There is a growing, a shifting of power that's happening. And it's all coming to him. It's coming his way. So there's a change on the horizon here.
[12:34] And I'm saying all of that to lead up to this new beginning and how to get off to a good start. And the first thing I want us to consider tonight and how to get off to a good start in the new things in life and the changes and new beginnings is to wait on God's timing.
[12:51] Wait on God's timing to get off to a good start. Wait on the Lord to begin to move before you begin to move. Wait on the Lord to line some things up before you try to start something new.
[13:04] David was promised the throne a long time ago. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel a long time ago. And yet all through his life he is not pursuing the throne.
[13:16] He is not sitting there getting drunk and hollering out to his mighty men. Yeah, that throne should be mine. You know it. I'm going to take him out and just stumbling around.
[13:27] That's not David. That's not his actions at all. He is an upright man. David is a clean, pure man. And he's waiting and waiting and waiting.
[13:40] He's not pursuing the throne because he doesn't see that it's his. He sees that it's Saul's. He calls Saul the Lord's anointed. He does not try to instigate a rebellion. Even though he has men that would and are ready to.
[13:53] Even when two different occasions he could have taken the life of Saul as his men instigated him to do. He refused to do it. David is just trying to survive day by day by day.
[14:05] He believes God has plans for his future. He believes the word of God. He believes the prophet Samuel. He believes the Lord's going to have something. But for now in this moment it's just one day is the same as the next.
[14:17] Survive. Keep your head on a swivel. Don't get caught by Saul's soldiers or Saul's men. He's even fearing when these guys are showing up to them as he said in verse 17. If you're coming to betray me to mine enemies.
[14:29] Because he had them. Because he was living in a hold in the wilderness. He was staying off the grid and staying as far away from everybody as he could. And so David's waiting and waiting for God to do something.
[14:44] But when these men start showing up. He cannot just ignore or overlook the fact that God is doing something. The Lord God is bringing these men to me.
[14:57] They're not coming to me because I promised them to increase your wages. If you vote for me. I'm going to put some more money toward our military men and women.
[15:09] David's not making promises and pledges to anybody. He's not promising that I'm going to overthrow or turn over the government. Or implement new policies. No. What's happening is God is bringing men to him.
[15:22] He is getting stronger and stronger. And the forces are growing. The men come to want to be allegiant to him. He can't ignore this. But something's happening.
[15:33] God's getting some things set up. The hearts of Israel are falling away to me. And I'm not making it happen. God's lining this up. And David's waiting on God's timing.
[15:47] And the hand of God's evident. And that is what you want to see. Before you pursue something. Before you pursue a change. If you want to get off to a good start in something in your life.
[16:00] You want to make sure you see the hand of God moving. And lining things up. Not your hand. God's hand. David could have moved it with his hand. And he had opportunity to use his hands.
[16:12] But he refused. He waited on God's timing. So Christian. You've got decisions to make in life. Sometimes here and there. You're going to have a choice to make about a job.
[16:23] About a career. About a relationship. About a marriage. A spouse. You're going to have decisions about a church. A move. You're going to have things you have to consider.
[16:34] And make decisions on. When the hand of God is evident. When the hand of God is moving and directing. When he's speaking to your heart. When the timing has God's working all over it.
[16:49] Proceed. Go forward. You'll be off to a good start. When you wait on God's timing. And you'll have the best shot at success. When you know that God is in this.
[17:00] God is moving in this. It's his will. But on the other hand. Be aware of this. When God isn't moving. But you're just so frustrated.
[17:10] You have to do something. You better be careful. And when God's hand is not showing you a way. And not making things come to pass in your life. That's obviously his.
[17:21] But you know a way. That you could make something happen. You know a way that. If I would just start working on this angle. Or talk to this person. I could get something to go. You better be careful. You're not waiting on God's timing.
[17:34] You're taking matters into your own hands. And you better be careful. You might. You want the best shot at success. Get off to a good start. And wait on God's timing. Otherwise.
[17:45] You might be making a mess. I would say. If you don't see God's hand moving. Don't do anything. It'll be evident. When God's moving. When God's timing is right.
[17:56] Now David had opportunity. As I said. To take Saul out of the picture. And he chose to wait on God's timing. And while he was waiting. Guess what he got? It wasn't good.
[18:07] While he was waiting for that throne. He got. He got several attempts on his life. He had to run. He had to hide. He was away from his family.
[18:18] Away from his children. And his wives. He was out there on the loose. He was in one case. Letting his drool. Fall down upon his beard. And scraping on the doors. Of the bars of the gate.
[18:29] Pretending to be a madman. Why? Because he was in the wrong place. At the wrong time. In Gath. Against the Philistines. How did I end up here? This isn't where I want to be.
[18:41] So David. David had some pretty tough days. Running for his life. And you can read through the Psalms. And you can read his heart's crying. Out to God.
[18:51] To help him. And to save him. To deliver him from his enemies. He's in misery. And he's crying to God. And he's trusting that the Lord will deliver him. And that it will work out.
[19:03] But he didn't have any evidence of that. While he's hiding in the caves. Doesn't look like God's doing much of anything right now. And so what did he do? He waited on God's timing.
[19:13] And when it got obvious. All of these men coming from everywhere. Aligning with me. Wanting to make me king. God's doing something now.
[19:24] And now I can proceed. And so you want to get off to a good start. Like David did here with his kingdom. Wait on God's timing. You can. It's not a guarantee that everything's going to be flawless.
[19:35] And beautiful. And purple. And flowers. And wonderful. But it is going to be your best bet. Now there's something else. Coming to the end of this chapter. Look at verse 38.
[19:47] It became pretty obvious. And God made it clear that he was working here. And that David needs to proceed. And all these men come to him. And verse 38. All these men of war that could keep rank.
[19:57] Came with a perfect heart to Hebron. To make David king over all Israel. And all the rest also of Israel. Were of one heart. To make David king. And there they were with David.
[20:08] Three days eating. They had a celebration to the end of the chapter. And the last words of the chapter says. There was joy in Israel. That's the result of waiting on God's timing.
[20:18] And not trying to fix it yourself. And find a way. And push through. And I'm frustrated. I'm not happy. Lord you got to do something. Why aren't you doing something? And then just deciding.
[20:29] I'm going to do something. You might make a big mistake. And David waited on God's timing. And the result was joy. And the result was that. He had the entire nation come together.
[20:39] To make him king. It would have been a mess. If he tried to take matters in his own hands earlier. He would have been fighting an awful lot of battles. Had he killed that king. He would have been.
[20:50] It would have been a bloody mess. And even if he ended up winning. And coming out on top. It was not the path God had for him. He had some sorrow. And some misery. And some hard times.
[21:01] And then he got exalted to the throne. And they all embraced him. And made him king. Now moving into chapter 13. Take a look at this. The first three verses. It says. David consulted with the captains of thousands.
[21:13] And hundreds. And with every leader. And David said unto all the congregation of Israel. If it seemed good unto you. And that it be of the Lord our God. Let us send abroad unto our brethren. Everywhere.
[21:24] That are left in the land of Israel. And with them also to the priests and Levites. Which are in their cities and suburbs. That they may gather themselves unto us. And verse three. Pay attention. Let us bring again the ark of our God to us.
[21:38] For we inquired not at it. In the days of Saul. After the celebration. We want you to be king. You're our king David. Everybody's happy. The joy in Israel. His first move.
[21:49] His first words. Was I need to get the ark of God. Back where it belongs. And I need to get. I need to get it back to where I am. I need to get the presence of God.
[22:00] That ark represents the presence of God. You know that ark. The setup of it. And the top of it has the mercy seat. And the cherubim is there. And look at verse number six. Just look in the very middle of the verse.
[22:11] You'll see it says. To bring thence the ark of God. The Lord. That dwelleth between the cherubims. Whose name is called on it. David wants the presence of God.
[22:21] With him. David doesn't want to be without the presence of God. The ark represents that presence. And the first thing he said was. Get the presence of God back here where I am.
[22:33] You want me to be king here? Then let's get that ark over here. You want to get off to a good start? Start. Determine to be in God's presence. You better determine that with all your heart.
[22:45] That's a sure way to get off to a good start. Having the presence of God. On the other hand. Not being in the presence of God. Is probably the worst thing that you could do. The absolute worst way to go through life.
[22:58] Or start something off. Away from God's presence. If you've got a new beginning in your future. If you've got a decision to make. A move. An opportunity.
[23:08] A school. A relationship. A career. Some new start. If it's going to take you away from God's presence. It is not a good place to be.
[23:21] If it's going to take you away from God. If it's going to take you out of church. It's not good. If it's going to cut into your Bible reading. And your prayer life.
[23:32] It's not good. If it's going to introduce you to the ungodly. And surround you with filth. It's not good. Determined to be in God's presence.
[23:43] You'll get off to a good start. The Bible says in Psalm 10. Or Psalm 16 verse 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence. Is fullness of joy.
[23:54] At thy right hand. There are pleasures. Forevermore. The path of life. You want to know where the path of life is? It's in thy presence.
[24:05] God will show it to you. In his presence. There's the joy again. It's at his right hand. You don't want to get away from God's presence. Now consider this. God is not going to lead his children.
[24:16] Away. From what is right. He's not going to lead you away from his presence. He's not going to lead you into something. That is not right. He won't lead you away from his presence.
[24:27] He won't lead you away from his people. He won't lead you away from his priorities. Serving him. And walking with him. And loving him. And seeking the kingdom of God. God will not lead you into something.
[24:37] That doesn't have his name on it. He'll lead you to something that is for him. And if you determine. That you're going to stay with God. And have his presence in your life.
[24:49] Then whatever it is you're pursuing. You can get off to a good start. But if you just say. Well you know. I got this opportunity. I want to take it. You might. If you don't have God's presence there.
[25:00] You better be careful. You're asking for trouble. Determine. To be in God's presence. Anything that will take you away from his presence. That's just you on your own.
[25:12] You're just making decisions and choices. Going on your own. But if you want to get off to a good start. Be determined. I'm going to stay in God's presence. If it's going to take me away from that.
[25:23] Stay away. Now the third thing. And we're going to move through this chapter a little bit here. Coming in chapter 13. As they bring that ark before. Or back.
[25:34] David in verse number 8. David and all Israel. Played before God with all their might. With singing. With harps. With psalteries. And timbrels. With cymbals. And with trumpets. You can read about that earlier.
[25:46] And Samuel. When he writes about David dancing before the Lord. And they're just celebrating. As just exciting. As happy as they are. In verse number 9. It says. When they came under the threshing floor of Chidan.
[25:57] Uzzah put forth his hand to hold the ark. For the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah. And he smote him. Because he put his hand to the ark.
[26:08] And there he died before God. And David was displeased. Because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah. Wherefore that place is called Perezuzah to this day. And David was afraid of God that day.
[26:21] Saying. How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? So David brought not the ark home to himself. To the city of David. But carried it aside. Into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with his family of Obed-Edom.
[26:33] In his house. Three months. The Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom. And all that he had. Now. There's a tragedy that just took place here. It's one that could have been avoided.
[26:45] Had David followed. What was already written in the law of Moses. Now. It took this tragedy for him to wake up. And realize his mistake. Now look over.
[26:55] Skip 14. And look at chapter 15. And in verse number 1. David made him houses in the city of David. And prepared a place for the ark of God. And pitched for it a tent.
[27:07] And David said. None ought to carry the ark of God. But the Levites. For them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God. And to minister unto him forever. And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem.
[27:19] To bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place. Which he had prepared for it. And in verse 4. He gets the children of Aaron and the Levites. The sons of Kohath. He gets the right guys.
[27:29] That Moses had said. I even knew this. You don't put the ark on a cart. And have oxen pull it. I knew that from reading my Bible. David knew that.
[27:40] David wasn't thinking. He wasn't exercising discernment. And it cost somebody their life. And it cost him some things as well. You want to get off to a good start?
[27:53] There's a way to do this. And that is to seek. And to follow God's instruction. And look at verse 12 of chapter 15. 12 and 13. And David now.
[28:04] He gets these Levites together. And he said unto them. When ye are chief of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves. Both ye and your brethren. That ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. Unto the place that I have prepared for it.
[28:15] For because ye did it not at the first. The Lord our God made a breach upon us. For that we sought him not. After the due order. We messed up.
[28:27] There was exact and precise instructions given. On how to handle that ark. And how not to handle it. And there were staves. That were to go through these loops.
[28:37] Or whatever they were called. I forget now. The rings of the ark. And the Levites were to bear that thing on their shoulders. It wasn't beasts. And it wasn't a cart. And when that. A good man lost his life.
[28:49] When he saw the oxen stumble. And the ark starts shaking. And it's going to go. He doesn't want. And you know how that happens. In a flash of your mind. You see the thing falling on the ground. And breaking. And the golden cherubs being snapped off.
[29:01] And he puts his hand out. And God kills him for it. And it wasn't even his fault. That he was in that position. I would go back and say.
[29:11] David. I don't know who instructed all of this. But. You didn't follow the Lord. With the word of God on that one. You want to get off to a good start. Seek and follow God's instruction.
[29:22] He was off to a good start. But then he ran into a huge obstacle here. An unnecessary mistake was brought on. I mentioned already.
[29:33] It brought on death. In verse 10. It says that. The Lord smote this man. And there he died before God. It brought on more than that.
[29:43] It brought on displeasure. In verse 11. David was displeased. Because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah. Just a little bit ago. He was playing instruments. With all his might.
[29:53] Singing and playing before the Lord. All this joy. And in all of it came to a stop. Silence. This man. Drops flat over dead.
[30:06] When the oxen. I mean. What do we do now? They're all. This was so good. Just a second ago.
[30:18] Now there's a dead man on the ground. God killed him. Because he put his hand on the ark. Now David's afraid. And who's going to touch this? Who's going to even be near this thing now?
[30:30] What do we do? And David's going from dancing and playing and singing to real displeasure. In that moment. And more than that. In verse 12.
[30:41] There's dread. David was afraid of God that day. He. He. He. The thing has flipped. 180. And it's all a mistake David made.
[30:52] There's another thing that happened. A delay. Of God's blessing. The Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom. In verse 14. And it wasn't a blessing upon David and his kingdom. Because the ark wasn't there.
[31:03] The blessing was with the ark. And it wasn't in David's home or house or kingdom. Like it should have been. And all these things brought on by this mistake.
[31:14] That was made because he didn't consult the Lord. And he should have picked up his Bible. And all of this could have been avoided. If David would have consulted the instruction of the word of God.
[31:26] So you want to get off to a good start. When there's a new beginning in your life. Well then you're going to want to avoid some mistakes. That end up costing you. Setting you back.
[31:39] Confusing you. These mistakes make you wonder. I thought this was God's will. And now it's falling apart. And people are dying. Everything was going well. And now what? God what?
[31:50] What's happening? Now you're confused. Now you're questioning what you thought was right. And it's because you made a mistake. It's because you didn't go to the word of God.
[32:00] And do things the right way. God's not going to change his ways for you. He gives you the truth. He expects you to seek him. David said we sought him not. You should have sought him.
[32:13] You should have went to the word of God. You could have avoided a whole lot of mess. If you want to get off to a good start. Then pick up the word of God. Get your nose in the book.
[32:24] And get your relationship with God where it ought to be. And get it in you. The Bible says it's a lamp unto your feet. And a light unto your path. You want to get off to a good start.
[32:35] Then you better follow that book. Look at Proverbs 3. This is where we'll stop tonight. Proverbs chapter 3. Just one closing passage. Proverbs 3.
[32:50] These verses are so familiar. But boy when you need them. They are as real as it gets. Verses 5, 6, 7. This is when you're starting something new.
[33:04] When you need to know you're doing it right. Verse 5 says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. And notice the end of the verse. And lean not unto thine own understanding.
[33:18] Be not wise in thine own. Verse 7. Verse 6 says, In all thy ways, David, acknowledge him. And he, in this case his word.
[33:29] That was already given to you. Shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord. And depart from evil.
[33:41] It will be health to thy navel. And merit of thy bones. It will work out. You want to get off to a good start. You better learn to seek and follow God's instruction. Not lean on your own heart.
[33:55] On your own understanding. On your own thinking. Your emotions will lead you astray. And your thoughts are not always coming from the Holy Spirit of God.
[34:07] Remember the study we've been doing in Sunday school? Go look at Acts chapter 5. Ananias and Sapphira. Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?
[34:18] John chapter 13. Judas Iscariot. Satan having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot. To betray him. Not every thought that comes into your mind.
[34:29] Or feeling and emotion and desire of your heart. Is of the Lord. What's the Bible say about your heart? Think about it. What did God tell you about your heart?
[34:40] Yours and mine. It's deceitful. It's desperately wicked. And the last thing.
[34:51] Who can know it? You can't trust it. In the Proverbs. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. So learn this. Lean not unto thine own understanding.
[35:03] Well it makes sense to me. If I'll just put myself in this position. And this should work out. If you're not. If you don't have the presence of God. I wouldn't dare go down that road. Because what makes sense is it'll work out.
[35:14] You'll be dead surprised how. Two steps down. You're on your face. Because what you thought was going to work out. Turns out doesn't work out. When God's not there blessing it.
[35:26] And in this filthy world. It'll chew you up and spit you out. You want to get off to a good start. You better get as close to God as you can. This world's not going to help you unto God.
[35:38] You can't trust your own heart. It's deceitful. It's desperately wicked. Get your instruction from God. Seek his voice in the word of God.
[35:49] Learn to get on your knees. And give God time. And let him give you peace on the inside. That this beginning. That this choice.
[36:00] This new thing is right. And it's okay. And he'll show you. He'll give you peace if the decision's right. And he won't give it to you if it's wrong. So new beginnings.
[36:12] Or new phases of life. Or whatever they are. They come and go. It's going to be part of your life here and there. We all are going to get them. If you want to get off to a good start. And I'm telling you.
[36:22] It sure beats getting off to a bad one. Then there's a few things we can learn from this passage tonight. One is to wait on God's timing. When God says it's right.
[36:33] It's right. It's right. If you get ahead of God. You're going to get into a mess. He's not going to just come ahead and fix everything for you. Because he's going to give you peace when it's right. Number two.
[36:43] Determined to be in his presence. If it's going to take you away from him. It's not of him. That's an important thing. That's more important than most people care to admit.
[36:54] Well there's a good church somewhere in the area. If you're a Bible believing Christian. You don't want to go to a good church somewhere in the area. You want to go to where they're going to teach and preach the words of God.
[37:06] The way you know them to be. And if you're not going to find it somewhere. Then stay away from it. Determine to be in God's presence. And then finally seek and follow God's instruction.
[37:18] Confession found in the word of God. I think you follow these points tonight. That David had before him. It will make a big difference in how things go. And in how it ends up in your life.
[37:29] And before you know it. You'll be off to another new beginning. In some other phase. In some other way. And you can apply this stuff. This story is there. These truths are there. And they're going to help you. And praise the Lord for that.
[37:41] Alright we'll be dismissed. Let's have a word of prayer together. Father. Lord help us not to get ahead of you. Help us.