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Aug 05, 2018

Wisdom for deciding what to do with the time that is given to you

Wisdom for deciding what to do with the time that is given to you

Passage: Proverbs 12:15

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: Proverbs, Searching for Wisdom

Which is harder to believe: that God exists or that He intervenes in His own way in the affairs of humanity? The belief that God is active in history is typically referred to as the doctrine of providence--literally “seeing forward” but more so overseeing. How shall we think and act with respect to the idea that God is neither merely an observer nor a puppeteer?

Order of Worship

Pre-Service Text: Proverbs 19:21
Call To Worship: Psalm 139:14-17 (NIV)
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 46:3a, 8-10
New Testament Reading: Matthew 6:25-34
Sermon Title: Wisdom for deciding what to do with the time that is given to you
Central Text: Proverbs 12:15; 15:22, 16:1-4, 9, 25, 33; 19:21; 20:24; 21:2; 27:1
Response: Heidelberg Catechism, Question #1
Benediction: Romans 16:25-27
Post-Service Text: Proverbs 16:9

08.05.18 Sermon slides

Readings & Scripture

Call To Worship: Psalm 139:14-17 (NIV)
ALL: 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 46:3a, 8-10
3a “Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
8 “Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”

New Testament Reading: Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Central Text: Proverbs 12:15; 15:22, 16:1-4, 9, 25, 33; 19:21; 20:24; 21:2; 27:1

Prov. 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.

Prov. 15:22 Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.

Prov. 16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the spirit.
3 Commit your work to the LORD,
and your plans will be established.
4 The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Prov. 16:9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the LORD establishes his steps.

Prov. 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

Prov. 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD.

Prov. 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Prov. 20:24 A man’s steps are from the LORD;
how then can man understand his way?

Prov. 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.

Prov. 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.

Response: Heidelberg Catechism, Question #1
Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

Benediction: Romans 16:25-27
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Post-Service Text: Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way,
but the LORD establishes his steps.

Related Scriptures:

 

  • Psalm 139:7-10, 23, 24       
  • Isaiah 46:3a, 8-10
  • Acts 2:22-23
  • Romans 16:25-27
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31

Discussion Questions & Applications:

 

  • When has been the most difficult time(s) for you to trust God has a hand in your affairs?
  • On what basis from Scripture can we deduce that God is not a mere observer of what happens? Or a puppeteer? If He can be neither, how shall we think of His relationship to things?
  • How shall we understand the participation of both human choices and God’s intentions in the crucifixion of Jesus? (cf. Acts 2:22-23)  What if any implications are there for us as we think about God’s hand in awful if not despicable experiences?
  • Is it our responsibility to discern reasons or purposes behind every event? When we can discern no comprehensible purpose, how do we practice trust?

Quotes

  • Nothing is written. Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia
  • “I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Last thing [mum] ever said to me - 'God will put you in the right place even if you don't know it at the time.’ Detective Alec Hardy, Broadchurch
  • There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will. Shakespeare, Hamlet
  • Human beings form, the LORD performs; they devise, he verifies; they formulate, he validates; they propose, he disposes. They design what they will say and do, but the LORD decrees what will endure and form part of his eternal purposes. Bruce Waltke
  • God instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality. Blaise Pascal

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