Father, many of us here this morning are facing really big decisions.
Some of us, Father, are maybe making big decisions around stocks.
Others maybe about whether we should do something about our marriage or try to get married.
Some of us are trying to maybe decide how to deal with really problematic relationships.
Father, you know that many of us here this morning are struggling, pondering very big decisions.
We ask, Father, that you would lead us and guide us.
We ask, Father, that you help us to hear your word so that we would hear your wisdom,
that your wisdom would speak into our life about how to make these decisions and how to move forward.
Father, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us that your word might enter deep into our lives
and that our lives will then bear much fruit to bring you glory.
And this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Please be seated.
So, does God guide Christians?
Can you know God's will about really important decisions?
Can you know God's will about the direction of your life?
Does God only give guidance about spiritual things?
Will he give you guidance about practical things,
like whether you should buy a particular house or sell stocks,
for those of us who actually have any money to buy stocks,
or get out of the stock market right now?
Does God guide Christians?
Does he guide in important decisions and in small decisions?
Today, we're going to look at a series of Proverbs from the book of Proverbs
that talk about knowing God's will and doing it.
And as those of you who have been here some of the other weeks,
in the reading that came in your bulletin,
I just put all of the Proverbs in the order that they come in the Bible.
But as we look at these questions,
and this is sort of the key Proverbs in the book of Proverbs about this,
we're going to look at them not in the order that they're written.
That's sort of how the book of Proverbs is designed.
So, Andrew, if you could put up the very first proverb.
It's Proverbs 21, verse 5.
Proverbs 21, 5.
And could you folks read this proverb with me?
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Now, this could be in the business pages of the National Post
or the Globe and Mail or the Citizen,
especially if you sort of understood some of the language here a little bit.
It's a very, very good translation.
But actually, the word hasty in the original language has a double sense.
It not only means you're making really quick decisions,
but it's saying that your decisions are basically influenced by events,
that you're just merely responding to events.
In other words, behind this is the image,
those of us who are really, really old
and remember that there used to be these things called pinball machines.
And, you know, you'd bang the ball and it would go up
and it would just sort of bounce around in there
and you had little flippers that you could do.
And that's sort of the image of the hasty person.
That they're basically just being pushed around by events.
And the image of the diligent person has a similar,
like the opposite type of an image connected to diligence,
that it's not just that you're really, really like having a plan and moving forward,
but that you've thought the plan through separate from events
so that you're not only, you're not just merely responding to events,
but you're in a sense influencing events.
And you're influencing, you're actually picking a path through events.
And so the Proverbs, I mean, you know, when you understand it that way,
the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.
And, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
I said, that could be in the National Post.
And that could be in the Globe and Mail.
It could be in the Citizen.
It could be on TV.
It's very sort of like commonplace, but, you know, wise advice.
And let's look at another proverb.
You could put up 1522, Andrew.
Let's say it together.
Without counsel, plans fail.
But with many advisors, they succeed.
Now, see, once again, this has, you know,
you can see how there's some wisdom to this.
All of us have probably met this type of person
where they basically, they don't do any reading.
They don't do any research.
They just sort of sit on their duff
and three thoughts come into their head.
And as far as they're concerned,
those three thoughts that have come into the head,
that's sufficient.
And now they know something about a topic.
I mean, maybe some of us are sitting beside that person this morning.
I don't know.
But we all know that type of a person.
They don't take any type of research.
They don't take any type of outside advice.
There's a basic type of pridefulness and ignorance
in terms of how they go through life.
And this proverb is, once again,
this could be in the National Post.
It could be in Globe and Mail.
It could be on CBC.
It's just, you know, that if you want to be wise
about making decisions,
you should have a basic humility
that allows you to seek out, you know,
other people who are going to speak into that situation.
You try to get really good advice,
and then you try to move forward.
Now, at this point in time in the sermon,
some of you are saying,
gosh, is this ever boring stuff.
And let me say something here.
I don't know.
If you're a non-Christian,
and you've come into this room,
at this point in time,
the Christians around you,
something for many of them,
many of us,
is going on.
You see, many Christians suffer with a deep-seated disappointment in God.
And we suffer with a deep-seated disappointment in God
that leads us to a fundamental cynicism about life.
And we might cover that disappointment with God
and that cynicism about life
by saying that we're prophetic
or really hip Christians
or emergent Christians
or really reformed or really,
you know, whatever.
Well, we have some type of cover.
But the fact of the matter is,
is that we were really hoping for something more
about knowing God's will
than something that could be in the National Post
or the Globe and Mail.
We were hoping that the Bible was going to give us
actually a lot more concrete, like real advice.
And so we start to hear these proverbs
and we start to settle back and say,
oh yeah, okay, once again,
we're not always conscious of this, right?
Once again, I'm going to be disappointed.
I'm not going to get any help at all this morning
about these decisions.
And that's the way the Bible always is.
And that's the way God is.
But then in a couple of minutes,
we'll get up and sing
and we'll say how great thou art
and how wonderful
and we just bow down and all that.
But actually we're doing it
with a fundamentally cynical spirit.
For you non-Christians who are present,
you might not realize that.
Probably about many of the people
that you know who are Christians.
In fact, we don't even struggle with cynicism.
We embrace it.
We don't struggle with disappointment with God.
We have learned how to live with it.
So maybe I'll just end right now.
I'll just end right now.
We'll all go home depressed.
So, well, let's look at this.
We're still talking about guidance
and we're still talking about knowing God's will.
But now let's at least acknowledge
that so far we're a bit disappointed.
But let's look at another proverb.
Andrew, could you put up Proverbs 12.5?
Could you folks say this with me?
The thoughts of the righteous are just.
The counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
Now, you see, if you just look at all of these Proverbs,
it sounds like they could be just like truisms
and power of positive thinking.
You might just think that the Bible
is like a power of positive thinking book,
only just not as effective and not as helpful.
But actually, all of a sudden now you realize that,
because you have to look at all these Proverbs together
to actually start to get their wisdom.
And you realize that the book of Proverbs
is actually very, very wise
without being cynical about what human beings are like.
Here's the problem.
You know that earlier proverb that we said
that if you seek lots of counselors,
you're more likely to succeed?
The problem in life is
that there are lots of counselors in life
who are downright deceitful and evil.
And they are not shy about sharing their advice.
In fact, just think about this for a moment.
Imagine that you put a little thing in Kijiji this afternoon.
I have just come in to $100,000 inheritance.
I am seeking some financial advisors
to help me know how to advise me.
Could you please email me?
How many people think that the first 100 people to respond
would all be trying to help you?
If you do,
I have some swampland to sell you after the service.
I mean, the fact of the matter is,
we all know that maybe there's going to be
like a really good, self-effacing, wise person
who will respond to that Kijiji ad,
but for every one of them,
there will be a whole pile of crooks,
charlatans, deluded, evil individuals
who will quickly respond.
And some of them have professional certification.
So all of a sudden,
okay, well, one, okay, that's,
okay, I mean, that's sort of a good,
that's a good of a bit of a bit warning, George.
And it's good to see that the Bible,
as you'll see on and on,
this isn't a cynical thing, by the way,
but, okay, that's sort of good to know,
but I'd still like some more concrete help.
Well, let's look at Proverbs 19.21.
Proverbs 19.21.
Can you say this with me?
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Now, why is this significant?
So here's the problem.
So I'm trying to make a decision about something,
you know, or a group is trying to make a decision
about something,
and we want God to make it clear to us
what his will is,
but the fact of the matter is
is that we don't want to acknowledge
that we are, in many cases,
a pinball machine inside.
That it is not just that there's external things
that keep batting us around,
but we, in fact, are often blind to the fact
that, you know, in the same day,
in the same day,
a Christian young man might sort of have images
of him being like another,
a second coming of Billy Graham,
and then later on,
he'll think about how he's God's gift to women,
and then later on,
he'll think about how great a scholar he's going to be,
and then later on,
he'll think about how great an athlete he's going to be,
and then later on,
he'll think about how spectacular rich he's going to be,
and then later on,
he'll think about how he's going to be like Mother Teresa
and give his life to the poor,
and that's just in three hours.
Now, if that's what we're like,
how can God guide us?
We don't even know who we are.
We're not even often honest about the fact
that those thoughts,
those desires,
those self-images,
those motivations,
and we haven't even got to motivations.
Like, often when we're seeking God's guidance
and will about a thing,
well, what's actually influencing our choice?
Are we trying to make a particular choice
because we're still angry at our parents?
Are we trying to make a particular choice
because we want to show that coach
that we had when we were kids
that he was completely and utterly wrong about us?
Are we trying to make a decision
because we want to be hip?
Are we trying to make a decision
because we want to make sure
that nobody thinks we're trying to be hip
in such a way that we're really, really, really hip?
Are we trying to make a decision
because the last thing we've ever been in our life is hip
and we want to have it stay that way?
Are we trying to make a decision
because we really, really, really, really, really
just have made an idol or something?
And how many of us think that we know
that other people's motives are mixed
but our motives are pure?
How can God give you advice?
How can he give me advice
when I'm not even aware
of all of the motives and plans
that are going around in my head?
Part of the thing that makes us so confused about God
if you look at this proverb
is that it's so easy for us.
We're not even conscious of the fact
that we live in complete and utter confused denial
about what's going on inside of us
and that God is not like that.
We project and transfer our cacophony,
our voices inside
and we project that onto God
and we don't understand
that God is not like that.
He doesn't have an environment.
He's not pushed around by events.
He's consistent.
He's always himself
and his plans stand.
That's what God's like.
The true and living God.
So some of us say,
okay, okay, George.
Yeah, okay.
Okay, I mean, just okay.
Maybe some of that was right.
I mean, I've actually never thought
I'd be like another Billy Graham,
but you know, you've missed a couple,
maybe some rude and evil ones
that you didn't want to say in church.
But you know, maybe,
maybe God could just give an experience
or a Bible verse
that would really help me focus.
Well, let's look at another proverb.
Let's put up Proverbs 16.2.
Proverbs 16.2.
And let's say this together.
All the ways of a man
are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Now, here's another problem, folks.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay, George.
Yeah, yeah.
I know yet, you know,
I was, you know,
in any given day,
I might be thinking
I'm God's gift to women
and I, you know,
how faithful I am
and then I, you know,
and then how rich I am
and then how generous I am
and how powerful I am
and how self-serving I am
and not realize how,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But it's not only that,
but the fact of the matter
is that we regularly think
that we're pure.
We're pure.
I mean, just as I said
a couple of minutes ago,
how many of us,
when we're in trying
to make a decision
or listening to advisors,
we think that everybody else
has lots of different motives,
but we know our motive
and our motive is pure.
I'm a good person.
See, the problem is,
the problem is
that we already have focus.
Problem is,
the focus is
that we think we're pure.
How can God give me guidance
when that's what's going on
in my heart
and I don't even recognize it?
Like, how can God speak to me
and guide me
when I am unaware
that that's what's going on?
Proverbs,
I think it's Psalm 36 too.
It's in part of the going deeper
and just in case you're curious,
every week in the bulletin,
I put something called
growing in grace
and going deeper
and a lot of,
like some people wonder
why I don't keep going off
to lots of other Bible verses
throughout the Bible,
but what I always do
is I give you
those other Bible verses
in a thing called
going deeper
and you can look at it later on.
You look at Psalm 36 too,
it's very, very important,
we should memorize it,
that we flatter ourselves.
I flatter myself too much
to detect or hate my own sin.
That's very profound psychology.
So some of you might say,
okay,
George,
I actually don't think I'm pure.
I actually think I'm really,
really, really, really dumb
and bad
and stupid
and
that's actually
not quite
how I
think of myself.
Well, I'm going to help you.
Let's look at Proverbs 3,
7 and 8,
although you're not going to think
it's very helpful.
Let's read it together.
Be not wise
in your own eyes.
Fear the Lord
and turn away
from evil.
It will be healing
to your flesh
and refreshment
to your bones.
You see,
here's part of the great dilemma
is that even those of us
who think that
we don't have a problem
with thinking
that we're pure
in our own eyes.
Our problem is
we think that we're really bad,
we think we're really stupid,
that we think
everybody else is good,
that everybody else is wise
and God's just made me stupid
and he's made me bad
and he's made me a failure.
The fact of the matter is
is that when we're saying that
about ourselves,
we think we're wise
in terms of understanding ourselves.
And, you know,
once again,
if you're asking God
to give you guidance
and if you actually think
you're wise,
in fact,
if the fundamental Canadian problem
is that we basically think
we're wiser than God
and whenever we even read
the Bible,
many of us are waiting
to see if the wisdom
of the Bible
will match up
with our wisdom.
So how can God
give us guidance?
How would we recognize it
if that's who we are?
And some of you say,
George, okay,
okay, that's all true.
I would just like to know
how things are going
to shape out.
Like, are there some proverbs
like that will help us
to know how things
are going to work out
or shape up?
Well, there's a proverb
about that.
If you would join with me
in saying Proverbs 27.1.
Do not boast about tomorrow
for you do not know
what a day may bring.
I mean, this is going to sound
like I'm being anti-left-wing
and I don't intend to make
a political type of comment
on this.
It just is that,
like in our day and age,
people who think they know
how history is progressing,
if I was doing a sermon
in the 1930s,
it would be that I'd give
left and right-wing examples,
but today there's virtually
nobody on the right
who sort of believes
that they understand
where history is going.
But, I mean,
anytime somebody says
they have progressive values,
they think they know
the future.
Nobody knows the future.
The Fed does not know
what's going to happen
in the economy
over the next couple of years.
Neither does the
International Bank,
the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund,
neither does any bank,
neither does any financial investor,
and now to completely
and utterly offend many of you,
nobody knows what the climate
is going to be in 20 years.
Nobody knows that.
Nobody.
Nobody knows the future.
George, are you just saying
that we should just despair?
That we should just be passive?
Are you saying that Christians
are just couch potatoes?
That we shouldn't make plans?
I thought you said
that the hasty person
is a person just banged around
by events,
and the diligent person
is the one who has a plan
and moves things.
Are you now saying that,
is this proverb saying
the opposite of that?
Well, I'm going to answer that,
but I just want to say,
nobody knows the future.
Absolutely nobody.
None.
And so to base
an ethical system,
a political system,
on a sure knowledge
of the future
is really foolish.
foolish.
I don't mean to offend you,
but it just is.
Let's look at another proverb
now that I'm really
depressing you
and offending you.
Let's look at Proverbs 20,
24,
and then we're going to
sort of gather up
some of these thoughts.
Could you say this with me?
A man's steps
are from the Lord.
How then can man
understand his way?
So here's the first thing
before I just comment
specifically on this.
Why is it that we find
it depressing to be told
that we're human?
Like when I say
that no human being
knows the future,
many of us take that
as a depressing thought.
Why is it depressing
to be told
that we're human?
I mean,
the Bible would say
that the reason is
is that at the very center
of every person's heart
is a desire to be God.
And if at the very center
of our heart
is a desire to be God,
to be told
that we are human
is depressing.
But do you think
a fish is depressed
to be told it's a fish?
When Rocky,
my German shepherd puppy,
comes up to me,
I say,
oh, Rocky,
you're a dog.
You think Rocky goes,
oh, no, I'm a dog.
I mean, maybe,
maybe because dogs
sort of think they're humans.
So that might be
not a good example.
And cats think they're God.
So,
apart from dogs and cats,
which sort of confuse things,
right?
But, you know,
why is it we,
why do we find it depressing
to be told that we're human
and to be reminded
that just every human being
is finite
and does not know the future?
And here,
this other type of thing,
you know,
Proverbs 20, 24,
a man steps it from the Lord.
How then can a man
understand his way?
I will say it.
Men,
we're all Jason Bourne.
And for many of us,
we think,
wow, that's really cool.
I can be on the ferry
and how is it that I know
that the gun
is going to be in that vehicle
and then that guy
can do that?
Wouldn't we all,
guys,
a lot of us wish
we could be Jason Bourne.
No,
I don't mean it that way.
If you've seen the movie,
Jason Bourne,
the movie sort of begins
with him floating in the water
and he wakes up,
he doesn't know his past.
And an amnesiac
can't know who he really is
because he doesn't know his past.
If you're a,
she can't know who she is
because she knows,
doesn't know her past.
And this proverb
is telling us
that every human being
is an amnesiac.
That we don't remember
all of the things
about our past.
We don't know everything
about ourselves.
That,
in fact,
even at a very,
very fundamental way,
remember I said,
why is it that,
why is it that we find it
depressing to be reminded
that we are a human being?
Well,
that's maybe an indication
that we actually really do think
that we should be God.
But the fact of the matter is,
is that for Christians,
in the Bible's understanding,
which is a very,
very wise understanding,
human beings are not just
like a machine.
We're not just a collection
of atoms
that are randomly
thrown together.
We are not just
a piece of consciousness
that separated itself
from God
and their ultimate destiny
is to lose any sense of self
and to be merged
into the one.
No,
every human being
is made in the image
and likeness of God.
And that means
that we do not understand
or know ourselves
unless we know
the one
that we are made
in the image of.
And so,
a man steps her
from the Lord,
how then can a man
understand his way?
This is a proverb
talking about the fact
that the Lord,
it's not just that
the Lord has,
it's not as if
the Lord has made us
a marionette
that's controlled
this throughout our life,
but that the Lord
is ultimately sovereign
over everything.
He's not a God
who's distant
and now has completely
and utterly forgotten us.
He's always present with us.
He knows what goes on
in our life.
The God that,
the living God,
the God that really
does exist,
he knows me
and you
from the moment
of our conception.
He knows
even what is for me
future
and you future.
He knows the moment
of our death.
He knows every instant
along that line
of us.
He knows us
right down
to our depths.
He knows the dreams
that we have at night
that we do not remember
when we wake up.
He knows how
there are things
in our lives
that have been mountains
that influence.
He knows how we think
that there are things
in our past
that are mountains
that influence
that actually don't,
that there are hidden
mountains in our past
that are influencing
how we move.
He knows everything
about us
and we are fundamentally
an amnesiac
about much of our life
and therefore
how can we understand
ourselves
and how can we
even understand
why it is
that sometimes
God will tell us
to do certain things
even if we maybe
recognize that it
comes from God.
Andrew,
could you put up
my first point
just to try to
bring this all together?
I deceive myself
and want binoculars,
techniques,
control,
guarantees,
and a two-button life
for my life.
that is why
we are disappointed
with God.
We are disappointed
with God
to the extent
that we deceive
ourselves
and think that
what we want
are binoculars.
I want to know
the future.
By the way,
there's all sorts
of Christians
who rush in
and...
Sorry,
I don't want to
offend anybody.
But who
mistakenly
believe
they can turn
the Bible
into binoculars
and nobody
can turn
the Bible
into binoculars
to know the future.
I have the power
to know the future.
I have the power
to know how stock markets
are going to go up,
how the wars
are going to happen
and what you should
be doing.
That's what we want.
We want binoculars.
We want...
You are hope...
People come...
We're disappointed
with God
because we hope
that I will give you
a proverb
that will be
binoculars
to see into the future.
And we want...
We want techniques.
We want the Bible
to tell us
that if we do
these particular steps...
You do this step,
this step,
and then this will happen.
And we go,
whoa,
that's what I want
in the Bible.
I want...
I want God
to tell me
those steps
that I do.
Okay,
I have a financial decision.
Okay,
you flip through the Bible.
Okay,
I do this step,
this step,
and then I'm going
to have success.
What is it I want?
I want God
to give me
the steps
I can use
for my plans
so I'm successful.
And God doesn't give it
and I am disappointed
with God.
And I don't even recognize
why I'm disappointed
with God.
And not only do I want God
to give me binoculars
and techniques,
I want Him
to give me control.
I can do
these steps
that come from God.
And if they come from God,
I want Him
to guarantee success.
And on top of it all,
I want a two-button life.
It's an adaptation
from an image
from the movie,
the Will Smith movie,
iRobot.
Right?
All the cars
are self-driving,
but Will Smith,
he likes to drive
the car himself sometimes.
And so what this is,
imagine that Google cars
are successful
in 10 or 15 years' time.
We all have
self-driving cars.
And what do we want
in our life?
We want to be able
to have this self-driving car,
but every once in a while
we want to do something
ourselves.
We'd like to have a button
in that car
that we can press
so that all of a sudden
I have control of the car.
I can cut that person off.
I don't like that person.
I want to drive really slow
to really bother
everybody behind me
because that's a way
to get some control
in my life
to go 40 in a 60 zone
and frustrate the heck
out of all the people
behind me.
And then, you know,
when we're tired of that,
we like to push a button
and let it go back
to the car being control.
How does that work with God?
We get into trouble
in our life
and we wish
that we could push
a button in the Bible
and then all of a sudden
God wakes up,
gets into marionette roll,
He attaches little strings
to every person
in our situation
and He can start
to control things
and He can make this person
give me $5,000
and this person
is going to remove
all of my debt
and these three people
are going to forgive me
and these two people
are going to actually
invite me home.
Oh, and this woman
is going to date me
and this school
is going to accept me
and then we have
all the marionettes going
and finally
our financial problems,
our relational problems,
our career problems
are fixed
and then we hope
we can press a button
so God cuts all the strings
and we can get on
with running our life
and if you don't think
that goes on in your life
you are really self-deceived.
If I don't think
that goes on in my life
I am really self-deceived.
That's what we want.
In fact, you know,
in an odd way
one of the things
that terrifies non-Christians
about the Christian faith
because everybody
would like God
to show up
and do a marionette act
to fix things periodically,
one of the things
that terrifies non-Christians
is they worry
that if they press
the marionette strings
that they'll never,
that God will never
allow them
to press the button
to get control again
and they'll spend
the rest of their life
as a marionette
and before you know it
they're a suicide bomber
or they're decapitating people
on Greyhound buses
and that's the fear
of a lot of people
about becoming a Christian.
They press that marionette button
and they lose all control
and then they end up
preaching on street corners
or something weird.
If you do that
I'm not saying you're weird.
I'm just saying
what people are afraid of, okay?
You'll end up being
at the front of a church
as a pastor preaching
and not really terrifying.
I don't know,
whatever it is, you know?
And so that's what's going on.
That's one of the reasons
why we're disappointed with God.
That's one of the reasons
why we have a hard time
recognizing God's guidance
is because I deceive myself
and want binoculars,
techniques, control, guarantees
and a two-button life for my life
and I want versions of Christianity
that pretend to show me that
and I've just told you
it doesn't happen
and that's why there's only
about a hundred of you here
and a lot of times
if I pretend
that there's ways to do all of that
those churches might have 15,000.
Go figure.
By the way,
empty churches can try to do it as well.
I'm not dissing big churches.
There's good big churches.
So what do we do?
In some ways,
the whole sermon
is just trying to help us
desire to memorize and pray
one proverb from the book of Proverbs
and if you put it up right now,
I've just changed the wording slightly
to make the third line more literal.
We're going to end up
reading this several times
because if all you get away from this
is an awareness
that part of your problem
and my problem
is our self-deception
and what we desire for God to do
and realize that this is the heart
of guidance
and you just memorize this thing
that if that's all I've accomplished
then I've accomplished
a really good thing.
Could you read with me Proverbs,
say with me Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.
Trust in the Lord
with all your heart
and do not lean
on your own understanding.
Know Him in all your ways
and He will make your paths straight.
Can you say it with me again?
Trust in the Lord
with all your heart
and do not lean
on your own understanding.
Know Him in all your ways
and He will make your paths straight.
Here's the thing about this proverb.
It's well worth meditating upon.
It's well worth memorizing.
It's well worth turning into a prayer.
Trust in the Lord.
In Hebrew, unlike in English,
there are many words for God
and in all of the words
that they have for God
in the Hebrew language,
they have what we often think of
like the general view of God
in our culture,
which is that,
I mean, one view is
that sort of everything's God,
but another view is
that God is something
or someone
or some principle
which is very distant
and far away.
But the Lord
is always used,
the Hebrew word translated
as Lord
is here
the intimate,
personal God
who enters into a covenant
with ordinary human beings
like you and me.
that's the word
which is here.
Like a marriage,
marriage is no longer
viewed as a covenant.
It's viewed as a type of contract
governed by the state.
But historically,
the idea of marriage
is that it's a covenant,
that you're entering
into a type of,
a special type of relationship
with another person.
And so every time
you see the word Lord
in the Old Testament,
it's in a well-translated Bible,
it's using that understanding of God.
So when it says,
trust in the Lord
with all your heart,
it's not saying trust
in the distant God,
trust in the force,
trust in an impersonal God,
trust in a God
who only set things up
and then is off
doing something
far more interesting.
It's not saying trust
in what is everything.
It's saying trust
in the God
who is a person
who enters into a covenant
with ordinary human beings
like you and me.
And who enters into a covenant
with ordinary human beings
like you and me,
and He knows,
He knows that our hearts
are full with different plans.
He knows that we don't
recognize ourselves
and understand ourselves.
He knows that we desire
to be like God
and not have Him be God.
He knows all those things
about us
and still He,
knowing you and me perfectly,
desires to enter in
to a covenant of love
and protection
for all eternity
with ordinary,
rebellious,
fallen human beings
like you and me.
And so for many people,
the idea that we are to,
say Proverbs with me again,
trust in the Lord
with all your heart
and do not lean
on your own understanding.
Know Him in all your ways
and He will make
your path straight.
The whole idea of knowing God
for many people
is very frightening.
It's either like knowing a force
or it's like knowing
some big, huge, angry judge.
But not only is the word Lord
a covenant word,
for us,
on the other side of the cross,
we understand
that the fundamental way
that we know the Lord
is through Jesus.
If you just,
if you have Bibles
and if you don't have Bibles,
that's fine,
I'm going to read it.
If you turn to the Gospel of John,
there's this very, very,
very profound way
that the Gospel of John opens.
And it's in John 1,
verses 14 to 18.
Many of us who come
to church on Christmas
stop reading it at John 1, 14.
But if you keep going
to finish the rest
of the introduction,
it goes like this.
And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us.
And we have seen His glory,
glory as of the only Son
from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
It's a very, very beautiful text.
We've seen the glory.
We've seen His glory.
John, verse 15,
John the Baptist
bore witness about Him
and cried out,
This was He of whom I said,
He who comes after me
ranks before me
because He was before me.
And in this wonderful text,
and from His fullness,
we have all received
grace upon grace.
For the law was given
through Moses.
Grace and truth
came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God,
the only God,
who was at the Father's side.
God,
but Jesus has made Him known.
What this text is saying
in the original language
is that Jesus
is the exegesis of God.
He is the one
who makes God known.
And so when we as Christians,
if we pray
and we think about
and we meditate upon
trust in the Lord
with all your heart
and lean not
on your own understanding,
know Him
in all your ways
and He will make
your paths straight,
it's telling us
that in all of our ways,
in all of our paths,
in all of our days,
even when we find ourselves
in failure,
even when we find ourselves
in disappointment,
in the day of great success,
in the day of triumph,
in the midst of our strengths,
in the midst of our weaknesses,
in the midst of our giftedness,
and all of that,
in every single way
that we find ourselves in,
whether it's a good time
or it's bad,
it's asking us
to know Him,
to see Him
in all our ways.
And we don't just see Him,
we see Jesus
and we see Him crucified
because it's in the crucifixion
of Jesus
that the full glory of God
is revealed
and made known.
If you turn back
towards the end
of John's Gospel,
John 17,
and those of you
who know how
the Gospel of John works,
this John 17
is just before Jesus
is going to be captured,
He's going to be crucified,
He knows He's going
to be crucified.
The disciples
hear Jesus praying
His heart out
and if you look at
just these first few verses,
it goes like this.
When Jesus had spoken
these words,
He lifted up His eyes
to heaven and said,
Father,
the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son
that the Son
may glorify You
since You have given Him
authority over all flesh
to give eternal life
to all to whom
You have given Him.
And this is eternal life.
that they know You,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ
whom You have sent.
I have glorified You
on earth,
having accomplished
the work
that You gave Me to do.
And now, Father,
glorify Me
in Your presence
with the glory
that I had with You
before the world existed.
What's He talking about?
The cross.
You know,
our fallen flesh,
we want to see
the glory of God.
We want it to be like
in that movie
Independence Day
when the really mean,
bad, world-conquering,
nasty aliens come
and they have this
overwhelming spaceship
that just seems
to completely overshadow
even the biggest city.
And that's what we want
the glory of God
to be like
because secretly,
that's what I want
to do and be.
And Jesus is saying
the full glory of God
is revealed
when Jesus,
in love for you and me,
dies upon the cross.
So you,
He can take upon Him
the doom that you
and I deserve
and you,
by faith and trust in Him,
can receive the destiny
that He deserves.
So how is it
that I am to hear
Proverbs 3, 5, and 6,
trust in the Lord
with all your heart?
Say it with me.
Trust in the Lord
with all your heart
and do not lean
on your own understanding.
Know Him
in all your ways
and He will make
your paths straight.
How is it that I am
to know Him?
I know Him
by coming to Him
in repentance and faith
and having Him
be my Savior
and my Lord.
And I am not just
to know some cosmic power
and ask to see Jesus
and to be sensitive
of Jesus
as I go through my day,
but I am to be sensitive
of Jesus dying
upon the cross.
Actually, Andrew,
if you could put up
the second point,
I mean, really,
the main point
is knowing Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.
We're going to say it again
a couple of times,
but here's, I think,
what the book of Proverbs
is trying to tell us.
The living God
lovingly offers
to provide a mirror,
the cross,
and the new covenant
to fallen rebels
like you and me.
The living God
lovingly offers
to provide a mirror,
the cross,
and the new covenant
to fallen rebels
like you and me.
What's the mirror?
The book of Proverbs.
The Bible.
It's,
George,
do you realize
that you have
56 different plans
and 123 different motivations
going on
when you're trying
to figure out
what you're trying to do?
George,
this is you.
Don't read this
because you think
it's a microscope
to examine all the people
around you.
Yeah, it's true about them as well.
This is you.
Many times,
the Bible's a mirror.
We want binoculars.
We want a microscope
to analyze other people
in a binocular
to know the future,
and what God offers me
is a mirror
to start to actually
know myself,
to know my heart,
and He offers me
to do that
within the context
of the cross.
His death upon me.
His death upon the cross
for me
so that I can,
by faith in Him,
enter into a new covenant
with the living God,
the creator of all things,
the sustainer of all things,
the end of all things,
the one who is always present,
and that I can talk to Him
not as a rebel
to the one
that I'm hoping
He'll occasionally
throw some goodies my way,
but fundamentally,
I'm in rebellion,
and not as one
who is distant,
but as my heavenly Father
who loves me,
and I can do my day
with my heavenly Father
who loves me,
thinking about Jesus
and His death upon the cross
because there is a God
who does exist
who loves me,
who wants to do
my day with me
and my life with me,
and I can pour out
my heart to Him
as I start to learn
who I really am
and who I really am
at the level of my heart.
I'm going to wrap things up
very quickly.
Proverbs 16.3.
Could we say that together,
Andrew,
if we can get that up?
Commit your work
to the Lord
and your plans
will be established.
You know what's so wonderful
about this?
This behind the image
of commit,
it's an image
of something
which is really,
really, really, really
too heavy to lift.
So when it says
commit your work
to the Lord,
the image of your work
is way too heavy
for you to possibly lift.
And all you can do
is try to roll it
to the Lord.
What's this saying?
One of the reasons
that we can get
so depressed
and be so heavy-hearted
is that we think
we have to carry
the burden of our life.
And the burden
of your life
will crush you.
We think we have to carry
the burden
of our marriage.
We think we have to carry
the burden
of our family.
We think we have to carry
the burden of our church.
We think we have to carry
the burden of our company.
And all of those things
will crush us.
And this is an invitation
to realize
that there is one
who can carry that weight
as he carries you
and as he carries me.
And it's the man who died upon the cross
with his arms spread wide out of love for you.
And I can say, and you can say to God,
Father, forgive me for thinking
that I carry the weight of this decision
or the weight of this church,
that it's all on me.
I cannot carry it.
It is crushing me.
I roll it over to you.
I thank you that you can carry it
as you carry me.
Could you put Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 up again, Andrew?
Could we say it together?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and do not lean on your own understanding.
Know him in all your ways
and he will make your paths straight.
Let's put up Proverbs 29, 18.
Say it with me.
Where there is no prophetic vision,
the people cast off restraint,
but blessed is he who keeps the law.
So here what it's saying is
know the word, know the word,
know the word.
And sometimes God gives you specific words.
And as the mirror of God
starts to work in our lives
and as we start to be gripped by the gospel
and prepared to realize
that sometimes if we want to know God's will,
a trust word, by the way,
is you've got to do something.
Get moving.
If you're just sitting on a couch,
you're not trusting the Lord,
you're just sitting on a couch
watching TV.
Like do something.
Make a mistake.
Make five mistakes.
Because God can direct you
when you're moving.
It's a trust word.
And you roll your burdens.
Study the word.
And you study the word
and you pour out your heart
to the covenant God
who does your day with you.
And you make mistakes
and you realize that you repent
and Jesus still loves you.
He died upon the cross for you.
And you keep on pressing on
and you try to move.
And sometimes in the midst
of all those things,
God gives you a very specific word
and you can pray
that you can recognize it.
Put up Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 again.
Let's say it together.
Trust in the Lord
with all your heart
and do not lean
on your own understanding.
Know him in all your ways
and he will make your paths straight.
What will this look like
as we enter into the book of Proverbs?
As we enter into realizing
that God does not,
he offers us a mirror
and he offers us the cross
and he offers us a new covenant?
You know, one of the things
which is so cool
about the book of Proverbs,
the way it's written
as a literary thing
is it's written
in Proverbs 10, 1.
It's a father giving instruction
to his son,
but the dad's checked it out
with the mom.
And so all the way,
the language is always addressed
as a father to a son,
father to a son,
father to a son.
And then at the end of the book,
at the end of the book,
the very last little bit
in the book
is an acrostic.
In other words,
every couplet
begins with the letter
of the Hebrew alphabet
in order.
And it's to really try
to bring it home to you
is that this last 22-verse section
is encapsulating the entire,
all of the words of the book
are being encapsulated
in these last 22 verses.
And you'd think,
this is just how God
likes to play with you,
you'd think that it's going
to be the noble warrior.
It's going to be
the mighty king.
It's going to be,
it's a story about a woman
who's married to a man.
And the person
who encapsulates
all of the teaching,
the wisdom,
the book is the wife,
the story of the wife
at the end of the book.
And look at verse,
chapter 31,
that's part of the final thing.
Look at verse 31, 25.
Can you read it with me?
Strength and dignity
are her clothing.
And she laughs
at the time to come.
I want to be that person.
I want to be so immersed
in the word
and so willing
to be taught by Jesus
and so willing
to confront my self-deception
and my disappointment
with God
and my cynicism
and so pour out
my heart to God
and so see Jesus
who died on the cross
for me
in all of the things
that I have to face
that I will laugh
at the time to come.
Who knows what the future
is going to bring?
Whoa!
Who knows what the future
is going to bring?
I'm going to face it.
I'm going to face it
with Jesus
in the context
of the new covenant.
That's what the Bible
wants us to so soak up
the word
that that describes
your day-to-day life.
Please stand.
Just bow our heads
in prayer.
Father,
help us to pour out
our hearts to you
about the decisions
we have to make.
Father,
please guide us
to counselors
who can love us
and speak wise words
into our lives
and help us
to recognize
father lies
that people tell us
and help us
to recognize
self-deception
and most of all,
father,
help us to keep
our eyes fixed
on your son.
Help us to keep
moving forward
and doing something
as you lead us
in Gaius.
Help us to pour
out our hearts
to you
and know the word
and father,
thank you so much
that you've given us
Jesus.
Thank you so much,
father,
that when we put
our faith and trust
in Jesus,
I cannot know
everything that will
happen tomorrow
or the day after
but I can know
your final word
about me.
Well done,
my child,
enter into the kingdom
prepared for you
for all eternity.
Thank you,
father,
that in Jesus
I can know
the final word
that you will say
over my life
and I can know it now
and act in light of it.
Father,
pour out your Holy Spirit
upon us.
Help us to be people
who pour out our hearts
to you
and follow Jesus.
All this we ask
in the name of Jesus,
your son
and our savior.
Amen.