Knowing and Doing God's Will for Your Life

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

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.

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.

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,

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,

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,

John 1:14–18

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, 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.