Thank you for choosing this sermon from New Heights
Fellowship Baptist Church in East Toledo. Enjoy
and grow. We will rise with you, lifted on your
wings, and the world will see that. Oh yes, the
world will see that. It's a ghetto I promise
you it's a Bible verse. It's right here. Because
straight is the gate and narrow is the way which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it. Beware of false prophets which come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous.
Ravening. I want to say ravenous, but it's the
King James, so it's ravening wolves. That's that
reference. All right. You'll notice that the
title of the sermon today is The Good Intentions
Maids. Shakespeare wrote, and I believe it was
Hamlet, that the road to hell is paved with good
intentions. And today we're going to talk about
the good intentions maze. I want to impress upon
you exactly how difficult it is, by the time
we're done, to be on the road to where we want
to be. That's all there is for my opening illustration.
I think it's short and to the point. And then
we're going to get into the text. So grab your
Bibles, take a breath, and it may be a little
challenging at times to be excited about the
book of Proverbs, but the book of Proverbs is
full of power and a lot of success for those
who will listen to it. So take a breath and say
amen. Give me a Yahtzee for Proverbs chapter
14. Amen. Proverbs chapter 14, and we'll begin
in verse 10. Okay, I'm going to read these verses
and I'm going to explain them a little bit, although
they are fairly self -explanatory. There's only
a couple of words and it's mostly toward the
end that are hard to understand, but I'm going
to explain them as we go through. And then I'll
come back and show you a couple of things. And
we have a few other texts, all New Testament
texts that we will look at in conjunction to
what we are reading. Proverbs chapter 14, beginning
of verse 10 says this, the heart knows its own
bitterness That seems kind of obvious. The heart,
the center of your being, you know what your
bitterness is inside, internally. Now, mentally
you may have a hard time recognizing it. That's
why we get therapy sometimes to find out what
it was in our past that really provokes us. What
it was that really causes that problem for us.
But in our heart, it knows its own bitterness.
And a stranger does not share its joy. When you
truly have joy in your heart because you've seen
something, experienced something, whatever, a
stranger, somebody who does not know you well,
they don't share in that. They can't really understand
why you're really joyous. They might see that
you are, or that you're acting like you're really
happy, but they can't really understand why that
would be. Now, a close friend gets closer. A
spouse, very much so. Maybe a brother who's been
with you your whole life, who's been really close
with your sibling your whole life, something
like that. Maybe your parent. but a stranger
does not share in the joy of the heart. The house
of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent
of the upright will flourish. So the house here
is metaphoric, right? It means where you live,
where you act, where you control, where you do
your work, where you go. So the circle of your
life, if you will, of the wicked will be destroyed,
will be put down, done away with. But the tent
of the upright, again, that's that... that place
which is temporary, but it's where you work at.
It's where you do your stuff at, right? But it's
temporary. It's mentioned as a tent rather than
a house. Of the upright will flourish. I think
it's significant that it's mentioned as a tent
because we realize this lifetime is temporary.
Like Ron was talking about, the things we think
are really important right now, they can't become
baggage to you. They can't be stuck to you because
someday you're going to have to not take that
stuff with you into heaven, no matter how important
it is right now. The tent of the upright will
flourish, and flourish means to blossom out.
To expand, to grow rapidly. You can imagine that
happen as we come into heaven or even as we come
into the kingdom of God and God working in us.
Verse 12, there is a way which seems right to
a man. And this is kind of the center of our
verse. There is a way which seems right to a
man, but its end is the way of death. And so
you can be on a path doing what you think is
best. and I won't dwell on this too much right
now, I'll come back to it, but you can be on
a path that you're doing what you think is best,
and actually that path leads you to exactly where
you don't want to go. By the best training that
you've received, by your best understanding,
by your best figuring, calculating books that
you've read, you go, I think I need to do this,
and you study it, and you figure out how to do
it best, and by the best that you can do, you
can think you're on the right path, but actually
the path leads to destruction, because if the
path seems right to you, then of course you're
on it. Why wouldn't you be on it? but it leads
to destruction. And so that's not good. The end
of that way is death. Verse 13, we've got four
verses left. 13 says, even in laughter, the heart
may be in pain. So in other words, and you see
this in people, they laugh, the joke, right?
A lot of times when kids are being bullied in
school, they laugh. People are picking on them,
cracking on them, saying nasty things. I'm a
fat or ugly or mean or stupid or... You're ignorant,
or that was really dumb, whatever. And they crack
on them, insults. And the kid who's being bullied
will laugh. But really, inside they have pain.
Deep residing hurt, right? And so, though people
are laughing, they might actually be in pain.
So they're kind of, their outward emotions then
are a lie about what's really going on inside,
right? And it says, and the end of joy may be
grief. So in other words, even if for a while,
it seems like, yeah, I really feel good about
this. This is really right. Ultimately, the end
can be grief. You can wind up where you don't
want to be, sad, destroyed, you know? And then
it says, the backslider in heart, this is the
person who in their heart doesn't really want
to do what's right. They're slipping away from
doing what's right. They will have his fill of
his own ways. So ultimately, if you survive long
enough and you're walking on a road that isn't
good for you, you will ultimately figure out,
you know, I'm sick of this. I've had enough.
It never seems to work out. No matter what I
try to do, it always falls apart. And people
arrive at a place where, for all their efforts,
they feel like they're fed up. They're done.
They just want to quit doing it over and over
and over again, trying again and again. The backslider
in heart winds up there. Because the heart's
supposed to be right with God. The heart's supposed
to be upright. It doesn't have strength to keep
doing what's wrong over and over and over again.
It says, but a good man will be satisfied with
his ways. Notice it does not say that a good
man will come out on top all the time or will
not suffer at all or will get wealthy or any
of that. But it says that a good man will be
satisfied with his ways. So in other words, if
you keep trying to do what's right, no matter
how hard it gets, you will be satisfied. You
will realize, hey, I'm doing what's right. You'll
be able to support. your decision. It makes sense
to your mind. You'll be satisfied. It makes sense
to your heart. Two verses left. The naive believes
everything, but the prudent man considers his
steps. Hey, Tyler. Tyler. Sit up, buddy. Thanks.
The naive believes everything, but the prudent
man considers his steps. So the naive is the
one who's easily tricked. As I was reading this,
I was thinking of my daughter Alicia when she
was younger. Poor Alicia. I believe it was Ron
and I were driving down from Michigan one day
to give you an example, and we convinced her
that on the map they have those black lines.
She's like, you've got to tell this story again.
Don't worry, it was a long time ago, so you've
grown out of it. But the point is, we convinced
her that at one point in time they had actually
painted those black lines on the ground where
all the state lines were, but that they had faded
away. And so now they put up signs to mark where
the line used to be. And she believed it for
all of about, I think, three or five minutes
or something. And I said, Dad, that just doesn't
seem right. In your defense, I was just as naive
as you were. My uncle and my aunt one time invited
me to come over to dinner to go out for pizza.
And right before I got there, my uncle turned
the oven on. And then when I walked in, I noticed
that the oven was always warm in the house. And
I got suspicious. Are we going out for pizza?
And he says, you know, we were going to go out
for pizza, but at that time I didn't like lasagna
at all, and they knew it, and everybody knew
I didn't like lasagna. And he said, but your
aunt decided to make lasagna for dinner instead.
And I was like, oh, I was destroyed for like
10 minutes. I sat on the couch pouting, and I
thought, you know, I was like 8 or 9, and I was
like, oh, man, no way, we're not getting pizza.
And finally... My uncle went in the kitchen,
turned the oven off, and he said, there's nothing
in the oven. I was just kidding with you. So
it runs in the family. The naive, that's what
naive means. It means those who accept. It says
you'll believe anything. You'll believe everything.
When Satan comes along and nudges you in a certain
direction, when the world teaches you to go a
certain way, you start thinking, hey, I might
get some benefit out of this, right? The naive
believes everything. But the prudent man, and
that word is huge for our sermon today, the prudent
man considers his steps. And so when you read
that verse, you take the definition of prudent
to be wise, right? That's what we want to define
the word prudent as, but that's not the definition
of the word prudent. And we'll come back to the
definition of the word prudent before we're through.
But the prudent man, somebody that we want to
be, considers his steps. thoughtful about the
things that he's doing. And the last verse says,
that we're going to read anyway, a wise man is
cautious and turns away from evil. So we have
reason to fear, reason to be concerned, and there's
nothing wrong with fear, right? It's fear that
keeps us from putting our hand down on a burning
hot stove, because we learned a long time ago,
if you do that, you burn, it hurts really bad,
so we don't do that. So fear keeps, there's nothing
wrong with fear, okay? But there's a lot of fear
that is wrong. So to be cautious is wise, and
the wise man is cautious and turns away from
evil because he realizes that evil will take
him a place that he doesn't want to go. Okay,
so this is what I was thinking about as I was
writing this sermon. I was thinking about how
dangerous it is to be right and to be lost at
the same time. Ever had that happen? To be right,
to think you know what's right, you're doing
the right things, you're doing the best you can,
and to be lost at the same time. When I was in
junior high and I went through a period of time
where there was this gang of guys, about five
or six of them, and they were hunting me wherever
I went. And so I got really tricky and really
cunning at hiding from them because I didn't
want them to beat me up. And I knew the one guy
carried a knife. And I started carrying a knife
too, but the truth is I was afraid to ever have
to use it. I didn't ever want to have to use
it. The one time I did try to use it, somebody
took it away from me and tried to use it on me.
Fortunately, I was able to get to my car and
drive away before I was seriously injured. The
point is, I was afraid. And so I got cautious,
and I was lurking, and I was hiding, and I was
lying, and I was doing everything I could possibly
do to not get in a fight with these five, six
guys that I knew would beat the crap out of me
if I did. So I was right because I don't want
to get beat up and I don't want to face them
one on five or six. That was the right thing.
But I was so afraid. I was so scared. I was hiding
around corners. You understand? It's terrible
to be right, to be doing what you think is the
right thing the best you can, but to be lost
at the same time. I've heard stories of pastors
and leaders of churches that have told their
congregation or their flock, manipulated them,
pushed them hard to do something that really
is the wrong thing. I know people in my life,
and I never share their stories, but I know people
in my life firsthand that have experienced that
and it's ended horribly. It's terrible, terrible,
terrible to be right and to think in your mind,
I'm so right, I know, and yet to be lost at the
same time. So what we read in these verses in
10 through 16 here is about a bad way. This is
a bad way. But let me tell you about this bad
way. This is not about a bad way you might take.
Most people quote the verse, say there is a way
that seems right unto man but leads to death.
And you don't want to take that way. Right? Except
that's not even what this is talking about. This
has absolutely zero to talk for zero in it about
you not taking a bad way. Understand? Even though
it's written in the present tense, there is a
bad way, and I'm paraphrasing now, there is a
bad way. That seems good to somebody. That's
present tense. It seems good. Seems is present
tense. It seems. Right now it seems good. But
it leads to death. Even though that's in the
present tense, it isn't even about present tense,
is it? You understand? It isn't about present
tense. It's actually about the past tense. Because
how do you have a way that seems right to a man
but leads unto death unless the way already exists?
Unless there's somebody who's already been on
it. And I submit to you, it's talking about you,
me, having already been on it. This is about
a way that we already chose for ourselves. You
understand? This is about a way that we were
already on, have been on, could now be on, and
could in the future be on. This is a way that
persists, continues to exist. It's a bad way,
this is. And it's a bad way, not that we might
just possibly get on in the future, that we could
easily avoid if we just realized it exists. It's
a bad way that we were already on. And Jesus
said to Nicodemus when he came in the middle
of the night, do not be surprised that I say
unto you, you must be born again. First he said,
you have to be born again in order to see the
kingdom of God. And he said it to Nicodemus,
who was this... godly man who knew the Bible
like crazy, whole books memorized, prayed all
the time everywhere he went, was preaching probably
seven days a week. Brother Tim works about seven
days a week. This guy was preaching seven days
a week. Right? And people were paying him to
preach because they loved what he had to say.
They wanted to hear it so bad. He fasted two
days a week, went completely without food from
sundown one day to the sundown the next day,
two days a week. And Jesus said to him, you got
to be born again in order to see the kingdom
of God. And then he said to him, don't be surprised
that you have to be born again to see the kingdom
of God. It doesn't really make any sense that
God would let people go to heaven that are liars
and thieves and hypocrites, because if all the
liars and thieves and hypocrites wind up in heaven,
liars and thieves and hypocrites, guess what
heaven's going to be full of? Liars and thieves
and hypocrites. And that doesn't sound like heaven,
does it? Don't be surprised to say that you have
to be born again. And you could hear him saying
to Nicodemus, and Nicodemus should have known
this proverb, But don't be surprised when I say
to you, you must be born again, means you have
chosen that way which seems right to you, but
leads to death. Okay, now, just a straw poll
real quick. How many of you have ever memorized
an entire book of the Bible? How many of you
consistently fast two days a week? How many of
you have ever been preaching seven days a week
and paid for it every single day? Zero hands
go up. So here's a man that's that wise about
the ways of living for God. He's that wise about
the ways of living for God, and yet he was on
a road that leads to death. What hope had we
as ordinary human beings of not being on this
road this bad way? Ah, but there is hope. You
see, one of the qualities of this bad way is
it stinks suspiciously. Remember that a man who
goes his own way, eventually what? Tires of it.
He starts to realize, hey, this is not working.
I keep doing this, I keep trying, and this is
not working. It's because that man has chosen
his own way, a way that seems right to him. If
it's your own way, it must be a way that seems
right to you, right? But if it's your own way...
then it's a way that leads to death. There is
a way that seems right to you that leads to death.
And it's not God's way. It's not Jesus' way.
It's not depending on Jesus. You must be born
again. You have to have a fresh start. You have
to put your way down. Stop it. Cut it out. Quit
reasoning your way to the next step. This is
dangerous. Because this same teaching applies
for those who pretend or those who say they are
Christians and are not. So you know people in
your family. You know people in your school.
You know people at your workplace. You know people
maybe even in this room who are claiming to be
Christians. And while you would never say to
them, I don't think you're a Christian, or at
least you shouldn't if they're claiming to be
a Christian, because that would be judging their
salvation. You can see that their actions clearly
are some other way other than the way that God
is talking about, right? If it's the way of the
heart, the way that the heart truly desires,
it's with Christ and Christ is leading, then
it's godly and what comes out of their mouth.
And is this the point at which, by the way, I
did a couple of hours of... research. And I'm
wondering if this is the point at which I should
now put up the social media posts that I found
of a vast number of our church members that include
a proliferation of foul language, nastiness,
cussing at each other, talking about how lazy
and mean people are. Oh, but that doesn't apply
to you. What if I pulled out a recorder at this
point in time and I played back a recording of
the last time you were struggling with your car
breaking down or rushing to get to an appointment
or a kid was being, disbehaving. What kind of
language could I have recorded on that recorder
that I could now play? You see, there is a way
that seems right unto a man, but it leads to
death. And I submit to you that if you are living
like that, half in, half out, sometimes all real
nasty in your speech and other times pretty nice.
If you've been holding a wrong against somebody
and love, right, does not take into account the
wrong suffered. Last month's memory verse. You've
been holding a wrong against somebody. Jesus
said, for as you forgive others, that's how your
Father will forgive you. I changed the tense
slightly. In the Lord's Prayer, Lord, forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us. If you've been holding a wrong against
somebody, then I submit to you that you are living
a way which you think is right. I don't think
you're doing that because you're an idiot. I
don't think you're doing that because you're
just a mean cuss that wants to be bad to people.
But if your life is like this, if your life has
those moments in time where clearly you are disrespecting
God, yet you are claiming the name of the Lord
Jesus, I submit to you that you, like any other
reasonably wise person, have chosen a way that
seems right to you. And you, like Nicodemus,
should be hearing the same words of Jesus. You
must be born again. You say, no, but I claim
the name of Jesus. I trusted Jesus, and now I
trust that Jesus is covering over my sins. Well,
if that's the way you see it, and it's not suspiciously
stinky to you, then maybe you're okay. But I
submit to you that repentance and living the
way that God would have you to live It would
be better. I submit to you that when you have
that irk inside you, that kind of feeling of
your heart that says, this behavior, well, ultimately,
I don't want the results of this behavior. I
don't want to hurt my spouse, my friend, my brother,
my sister. I don't want to not do what it is
that God called. I don't want the results of
this. If you could take, the last time you made
a nasty comment to somebody, Now I want you to
just, in your imagination for a moment, think
about if you do that, how long ago was it? Say
maybe it was a month ago. A month ago you made
your last nasty comment to somebody. And you
say, well, I think I could go another month without
doing it. And so I'm only going to make a nasty
comment once every two months. It's pretty likely
that, you know, that's a fairly reasonable estimation.
So six times a year. Now I'm going to live on
earth for 50 more years. Most of us might make
that. Some of us might be kind of pushing it.
Hard to say. Say, I'm going to live for 50 more
years. So six times a year. So 300 times. And
you think when you're 80, you're not going to
look back and go, you know what, I just need
to stop making those nasty comments to people.
Or would it go like this? When you're 80, it's
going to be like a nasty comment every day. Which
is it? Either way, it would mark or prove that
you are... on a way of your own choosing that
you think is right, but it stinks suspiciously,
and you will have your fill of it, and you need
to be born again. The second thing about this
bad way is it stalks skillfully. First of all,
it stinks suspiciously, and so there is the ability
for us to choose not to be on it, to choose Jesus
instead on a regular basis, but also it stalks
skillfully. It's stealthy. The opportunities,
are always there. So they're always hiding around
the corner. You know what I mean? Somebody will
provoke you when you're not expecting it. Somebody
that you are trusting to behave in a reasonable
way will behave in a completely unreasonable
way. And the next thing you know, you're behaving
in an unreasonable way. Not nearly as unreasonable
as they are. So it's all on them. But just a
little bit unreasonable. Right? It's stealthy.
It creeps up on you. And suddenly you're doing
what you should not be doing. Why? Because it's
a reasonable thing to do. It makes perfect sense
to me to behave this way. Someone just cut me
off in traffic. It makes perfect sense for me
to cuss them out a little bit. They can't hear
it. I'm not hurting anybody. I'm the only one
in the car. If you're the only one in the car,
you need to be born again because Jesus is supposed
to be in the car too. And if you think Jesus
would cuss them out for cutting you off, you
might want to look at the story where Jesus is
on the cross being crucified. He's on the verge
of dying. And he says, forgive them for they
know not what they do while they're crucifying
him. While he's struggling to get his next breath.
Oh, but them cutting you off in traffic, that
makes it perfectly okay. To have Jesus in the
car with you, that seems like maybe you're living
your own way. It stalks you skillfully. It's
right there around the corner, always looking
for an opportunity for you to diverge from the
course that you've set for yourself, which was
supposed to be Jesus' course. Also, it's good
at camouflage. Because it looks right. What are
we called to? In Christ, what are we supposed
to be? Right? Live upright. It's right in there.
The upright man. So we're just supposed to be
right. So if we're right by our own standards,
we're all good. Right? It's camouflaged. Because
if you're right by your own standards, you're
not good. Not unless your standards of what's
right have been completely regenerated in God.
And that doesn't even happen at the moment that
you're born again. Because we have... A progressive
regeneration. We understand better and better
and better. So you may be here today and you
say, okay, I'm a Christian. And I do understand
that some of these behaviors that I'm trying
to put out of my life, that they are still wrong.
And I need to once and for all put them out of
my life. But I've not been able to do that. That's
because this bad way that we're talking about
stalks skillfully. It's right there. And it looks
right when it happens. And so you wind up doing
something that you think is right. And that won't
cut it. That's not going to get you where you
want to go. And it has endurance. It can outweigh
you. You can get it right for days, weeks, or
months. It takes a human 40 days to build a habit.
Now let's imagine you wanted to build a habit
of right living in every possible way. That's
a lot of 40 days. Right? Let's say you get 10
things in 40 days. But there are millions of
things. So all it has to do is wait for you to
find that right way that isn't God's way again
and you will diverge. You will find something
else. You will take the steps that you should
not because this bad way stalks you skillfully.
What we need to do is be disciplined and recognize
that we are being stalked. In the movie, The
Hunger Games, which was out, the whole series
that came out back, I don't know, what is it,
five, ten years ago? Whatever. Everybody knew
that they were going to be in the games. And
everybody got access to the same training. And
they knew that the other contestants, all of
them, would be stalking them. Even the one that
came from their home area eventually would be
stalking them, potentially. It wasn't until the
last Hunger Games. The big one, if you will.
I don't know if it was even the last one. It
wasn't technically the last one, I guess. But
where two were allowed to survive. That was the
first time that ever happened. And so even your
friend from home, if you would call him a friend,
would have to kill you. And so if you're being
stalked skillfully, and if the opponent is trained
in camouflage, you had better be disciplined
about what you have learned in order to resist
the bad way. The third thing is that the bad
way... started specifically. And here it comes
to it. The bad way started very specifically.
When you got on the bad way and began doing the
wrong things instead of the right things, by
the wrong things, it's not putting God first,
not practicing spiritual disciplines, maybe not
worshiping, maybe not serving, maybe not caring
about others more than yourself, maybe allowing
your mouth to spout things that you shouldn't
or heart to feel things that you shouldn't, et
cetera, et cetera. So rather than doing the wrong
things, actually did, started quite specifically,
and it's going to surprise you, started with
all good intentions. It's a way that seems right.
You couldn't fall into it unless you thought
it was right. You started with good intentions.
So you never, ever cussed anybody out that didn't
deserve it. You know how many times I've heard
that on the street in the last 10, 15 years?
Well, I never cussed anybody that didn't deserve
it. I never put somebody down that didn't deserve
it. I've even heard people say, I never stole
from somebody that didn't deserve it. And so
they're doing what they think is right. And so
when you go out into the world, you need to realize
that a lot of times when people are doing this
stupid thing, they're cutting you off in traffic.
They're doing what they think is right. Maybe
they're not a very good driver, but they didn't
hit you. Maybe they are in a rush to get somewhere.
Maybe they are distracted because... Somebody
just died or they're on the verge of losing their
marriage that they care very deeply about or
whatever. You don't know what their situation
is and so they're just doing what they think
is right. Remember what God said to Jonah when
Jonah resisted going to Nineveh? Does anybody
remember? There's a lot of people there. They
don't know their right hand from the left. I
want you to go to them and tell them. Educate
them. You're my prophet. I'm paraphrasing, of
course. Right? Jonah didn't want to go because
he didn't want to save the Ninevites because
they were threatening to attack Jerusalem even
then. History tells us that 90 miles away from
Jerusalem was a Ninevite army ready to march
down and destroy God's people when God told Jonah
to go to Nineveh. He didn't want to save Nineveh.
He didn't want to let God relent of his anger.
He didn't want to let God spare Nineveh if they
should repent. And guess what they did when he
finally got around to it? They repented. And
guess what God did? He spared them. Their bad
ways started very specifically. They said, hey,
God has allowed us to build a great nation with
great armies and we can go and conquer others,
etc. Started very specifically with good intentions.
We are a good nation. We can rule others and
make their situation better. In the movie, A
Knight's Tale, late on in the movie, when it's
after the period of time which the main character
has tried to throw the joust, and now his love
tells him, if you love me, you'll win this joust.
And he gets up there, and he picks up his lance,
and he's about ready to go, and his squires tell
him the name of the guy he's jousting. And he
says, yeah, he sits at feast while he taxes his
servants all the more. He's taking all their
money. They starve while he feasts. And he's
like, yeah. And he rides out and he jousts this
guy because now he thinks this guy deserves it.
Now that guy deserves to be on the scene. He's
mad at the guy, whatever. I've heard people go
step up at a bat in softball and they say, I
want you to imagine the face of the person you're
the most mad at. These are all gimmicks that
people use because the bad way starts very specifically
with good intentions. You remember that word
prudent? Remember the word prudent? It was in
there and I said we'd talk about it. Let me tell
you what it actually means. What it actually
means is not to be wise. He could have just said
that. He said that in the other verse. What it
actually means is to take into account the future,
the destination, the goal, where you're likely
to wind up because of the choices that you're
making. To be prudent is to look forward. And
God says it over and over and over in His Word
that we are to be prudent. We're not to be arrogant.
We're not to think that we're right. We need
to be prudent. Ultimately, as wise as you may
ever get, as wise as you may ever get, you will
stand ultimately before the wisest being in the
universe and answer for your life. And will you
say, I thought it was the right thing? And if
you did say that, would it be enough? No. It
would not. You cannot rely on your own wisdom.
You need to be ready to stand before God and
answer for your actions. The way that we are
talking about getting on to, there's things like
you can never go wrong by worshiping the God
of the universe unless, of course, you're worshiping
the wrong God. That would be a problem. You can
never go wrong by studying the Bible unless,
of course, you're warping it to your own thinking.
You can never go wrong by praying to God unless,
of course, you're praying to Him like a candy
store owner or a teddy bear God, disrespecting
Him, asking Him for what you want, expecting
Him to give it to you just because you asked
Him, like a sorcerer. Then I guess you could
go wrong. See, these are all spiritual disciplines
and we have them. But when you order them, lay
them out next to each other and put them together,
they become a lifestyle. And that lifestyle respects
God. That lifestyle is the way that Jesus is
talking about. I'm going to read a few verses
from the New Testament that talk about thinking
ahead, and we are moving into the conclusion
now already, but it's a bit of a conclusion,
so give me a second. Titus chapter 2. If you
want to flip there, you can. I'm going to read
five verses or so, six verses. Titus chapter
2. Paul writes to Titus, and this is what he
writes, beginning in verse 7 of chapter 2. In
all things, show yourself to be an example of
good deeds. with purity and doctrine, dignified,
sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, in
order that the opponent may be put to shame,
having nothing bad to say about us. Urge bond
slaves. Listen to this. This is huge. Urge bond
slaves. Those are people who are in slavery to
masters, actual slaves owned by somebody else
that have pledged their service for life. Urge
bond slaves to be subject to their own masters
in everything. This is how much God wants us
to live strictly for Jesus. It may seem right
to be free, to have no other master in your life,
but if there is a master in your life, he says,
don't resist, don't talk back, don't fight back,
because the spirit of rebellion is more dangerous
than being a slave. Urge bond slaves to be subject
to their own masters in everything, to be well
-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering,
taking small stuff, but showing all good faith
that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior
in every respect. For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all men, instructing us
to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and
to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the
present age. Looking, where are we looking? For
the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ
Jesus. If your focus is on what lies ahead of
you, then that stink that's around you is what
you're doing that doesn't honor where you're
going. And you go, well... And you begin to spew
a string of cuss words or well, and you begin
to talk back to an authority. And that stink
stands directly opposed to where you're going.
Do you think anybody is going to talk to people
like you sometimes talk to people when you get
to heaven? Will there be anybody in heaven talking
like that? Well, that makes it clear then that
that's a work that we have to get rid of. We
have to work. And I understand it's a work in
progress. I'm not saying it's an instantaneous
thing. But it's something that our heart should
desire to be rid of. Do we think that anybody
is going to think about other people in heaven
the way we sometimes think about people? And
you say, well, I don't say anything. I just feel
it. Why? Why do you feel it? Are you submitting
your feelings and your thoughts to the God of
the universe? God doesn't work only in the physical.
He works in the spiritual. More so, even, I think,
than the physical. But He's capable. Unlimited
in both. Why do you think that way? Is it because
you need to submit your thoughts to God? We're
going somewhere and the way it's going to be
when we reach that moment in time is going to
be, should, it doesn't fully depend, but it should
line up perfectly with the way you're acting
in these days. Hebrews 10 then. Hebrews 10 is
the next one. Hebrews 10, beginning in verse
22. We've got two more of these, an illustration
and a summary, and we're done. Hebrews 10, beginning
in verse 22, says this. And according to the
law, oops, that's wrong, that's 9, 22, here we
go. Let us draw near with a sincere heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience. and our bodies
washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
confession of our hope without wavering. For
he who promised is faithful, and let us consider
how to stimulate one another to love and good
deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together.
That's one of the classic verses about making
sure you're in church and at Bible study and
like that with other believers, right? Not forsaking
our own assembling together, as is the habit
of some. Some people do that. We recognize not
everybody is... But encouraging one another and
all the more as you see the day drawing near.
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving
the knowledge of the truth. In other words, if
you're choosing to sin willfully after receiving
the knowledge about Jesus, there no longer remains
a sacrifice for sins. If Jesus paid for your
sins and then you go on and sin again, how can
anyone pay for that? It's an ongoing payment
or it's no payment at all. It's a payment for
sins that's for all the sins you ever did and
all the sins you ever will do or it's no payment
at all. But a certain terrifying expectation
of judgment and the fury of a fire which will
consume the adversaries. That's what we can hope
for. That's the destination. A path that seems
right to us leads to that place. Anyone who has
set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy
on the testimony of two or three witnesses. They
were put to death. Anybody of two or three people
witnessed against them breaking the law, they
could put them to death. That's the rule of the
Old Testament. How much severer punishment do
you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot
the Son of God and has disregarded as unclean
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified?
So Jesus' blood is regarded as unclean by those
who continue in sin, willfully sin after having
accepted Christ. and has insulted the spirit
of grace. For we know him who said, vengeance
is mine, I will repay. And again, the Lord will
judge his people. It is a terrifying thing to
fall into the hands of the living God. But remember
the former days when after being enlightened
you endured a great conflict of suffering. So
you went through a lot of difficulties as you
started to try to live for Jesus. Partly by being
made a public spectacle through reproaches and
tribulations and partly by becoming sharers with
those who were so treated because you knew people
who were treated that way because of their faith.
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners. and
accepted joyfully the seizure of your property,
knowing that you have for yourselves a better
possession and an abiding one. And this is written
to those who had experienced those things. Therefore,
do not throw away your confidence, which has
a great reward, for you have need of endurance,
so that when you have done the will of God, you
may receive what was promised. For yet in a very
little while, he who is coming will come and
will not delay. But my righteous one shall live
by faith. And if he shrinks back, My soul has
no pleasure in him. You hear that? God says,
if you shrink back, his soul has no pleasure
in you. If I shrink back, his soul has no pleasure
in me. But we are not of those who shrink back
to destruction. That's the great blessing. We
do not shrink back to destruction. But of those
who have faith to the persevering of the soul,
we can continue. 2 Peter chapter 3. The last
two are fairly short. 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter
chapter 3 beginning in verse 11. And let him
turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek
peace and pursue it. This is what we're supposed
to do. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the
righteous and his ears attend to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who
do evil. And I can put this paraphrase in there.
Who do evil even if they think it's right. You
understand? And who is there to harm you if you
prove zealous for what is good. Who will harm
you if you prove zealous for what is good? But
even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,
you are blessed. Even if you actually do what's
right, you live for God and actually do what
God wants you to do and then you suffer because
of it, you're blessed. and do not fear their
intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify,
that means set apart, Christ as Lord in your
hearts, always being ready to make a defense
to everyone who asks you to give an account for
the hope that is in you. You always have to be
ready to tell anyone, why do you have this hope?
Yet will gentleness and reverence do that, and
keep a good conscience, so that in a thing in
which you are slandered, those who revile your
good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
So even those who speak out against you will
be put to shame. And then the book of Jude. The
book of Jude. It's the last one before Revelation.
The book of Jude just has one chapter, so it's
verses 24 and 25. In Jude 24, it says this. now
to him who is able to keep you from stumbling.
Do you hear that? Okay, let's stop one second
right here. This bad way, it stinks suspiciously.
You were already on it. You needed to be born
again. I hope you have been. If you haven't,
you need to be. Then assuming you've been born
again, be aware this bad way, it stalks skillfully.
It's after you. It's stealthy. It's camouflaged
and it has endurance. You need to be disciplined.
You need to be prudent thinking about where you're
going, not where you've been or what's going
on now or what seems right to you, but where
you're going, what you could do here that lines
up with where you're going. And then he says
that this one in whom you have trusted, if you've
been born again, he is able to keep you from
stumbling. He can stop that stealth. He can stop
that camouflage. He can let you see it for what
it is. He is able to keep you from stumbling
and to make you stand in the presence of His
glory blameless with great joy. He is able to
bring you to that place where you will stand
before Him blameless with great joy. Notice it's
not about us at all. It's not about what we think
about what's right. It's not about our opinions.
God is able to do that. That's what that whole
verse is about. To the only God, our Savior,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, be these things.
Glory. Let us shine a light on God that all people
can see. Majesty. Let's recognize that God has
the character of a king. He deserves to be in
charge of all things. Dominion. That means He
rules. He governs. He directs. He guides. And
when I would start to say something that's inappropriate,
when I start to fail to do something that I should
do, I should hear God saying, Get up, Dan. Do
this, Dan. Don't do that, Dan. That's not right,
Dan. What are you doing? Repent and say you're
sorry, Dan. Apologize and make it right. Not
once, but four times over, Dan. That's His dominion
and His authority. He can rebuke that evil. He
can stop that way. He can make me think what's
right. He can help me see what's right. Not what
I think is right, not by my reason or my logic,
but by His standards. And it is so before all
time and now and forever. And then amen, which
means let it be so. So this is the check. If
there is a time or some kind of reason that you
have been allowing yourself to engage in behavior
that would not be logical in heaven, then you
need to repent. And you need to reinstate with
all that is in you and plead to the Lord for
him to reinstate because he is really the one
who can do it, his dominion in your life. The
tool of repentance, is a gift. And through repentance
now, there is the remission of sins. That's what
Jesus said. And that is the message of the Gospel.
Because we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ who
died on the cross for us and rose again and taught
us that it was so, we can have our sins and the
consequences of them forgiven through repentance.
And what is repentance? It is not simply saying,
oh, I'll never do that again. It's not saying
I'm sorry or I'm sorry I was caught. It's not
making restitution. Repentance is turning to
God again. Not turning to a different sin or
another way. Not even turning to a way that seems
right to you. I'm here to say to you today that
turning to God in the flesh, in your humanistic
self, in your old man, would never seem right.
Right. How does that work? How does it work that
I say, God, I lied, I don't want to do that anymore,
I want you to be in charge of my life, and that
does anything at all? Because I lied, and then
I said that, and then a month later I lied again.
And I completed that process over a space of
two and a half years. I did it over and over
and over again. I kept saying, God, I don't want
to lie anymore. Change me, fix me, help me, help
me do it. And over that period of time, a little
more, a little more, a little more, every time
I lie, I would hear God's compulsion more. I
knew I was going to pray the next day and say,
God, please don't, or later that same day and
say, God, please help me not do that anymore.
And ultimately, the last time, God said, you
just lied. As loud as there was somebody standing
there smacking me in the back of the head. Go
fix it. Tell him the truth. And on that day,
I finally figured out how it gets better. Because
the more you want what God wants in that particular
circumstance, the less you can reason it, define
it, make it right. The camouflage falls away.
The stealth ends. It's no surprise to me to know
that what I'm doing is wrong now. Mom said it
was wrong. Dad said it was wrong. The brother
said it was wrong. Whatever. But now I know it's
wrong. Now I feel it in my heart. My heart is
telling me it's wrong because my heart is being
rejuvenated in Christ. And now I know I have
to let it go. And then you let it go and then
it's gone. And some things took a day. And some
things take two and a half years. But you have
to do the same thing every time and get off the
path that you think is right and get on the path
that He thinks is right. And that takes discipline.
And all the disciplines... Coming together is
weaving a life in Christ. So worship and serve
and give and love. Step out. Resist the spirit
of rebellion. Be faithful and be found obedient.
Stop being arrogant and thinking you know because
you don't. And so it comes down to this. Be born
again. And then be disciplined and be prudent.
That's the road that seems right to God. Be born
again. Then be disciplined. Choose to do the
right things. Failing to do so, repent. Figure
out what the spiritual disciplines are. There
are probably 35 of them. 10 of them are listed
in the green book that we use. Figure out what
the spiritual disciplines are and make an action
plan yourself to do more of each and every one
of those things and to do them in a more godly
way whenever you find yourself weak in some way.
Be born again, be disciplined, and then be prudent.
And when you are prudent, you will stop wandering
off onto the way that looks good to you. You
will instead choose a way that lines up with
where you're going. You can't go south to get
to Alaska. You can go south for a little while.
You can go around something. You can go southwest
to get to a certain expressway. You can go south
all the way around Antarctica if you could survive
it, which probably would not be the case. It
doesn't even seem right to you to try. So we
can figure out a little bit of what we think
is right. But as Shakespeare said, the road to
hell is paved with good intentions. It's like
a maze. Let me pray for you briefly. The Jail
of Intentions by Daniel Stevenson at New Heights
Fellowship Baptist Church in East Toledo. We
hope that you have learned and grown from it.
Check us out online at churchtoledo .com. Consider
partnering with the ministry. Show up for service.
Serve the Lord right where you are, reaching
new heights in Jesus. God bless you today.