Making Good Decisions - Luke 6:12-15
Gladstone Baptist Church - 14/11/04
What do you do when you are facing a large decision? It may be a decision about your career. Do I pursue a promotion or not? Should I look for another Job? Should I get a job? For you students, maybe you have to decide what subjects to take at school or what you want to do when you leave school - A doctor, a baker a boilermaker?
What about big decisions in relationships ... Should I ask that person out - what if they say no? If you are asked out, the question is ... Should I go out with that person - Am I attracted to them? Then it’s, do I want to marry them or not? Then when the first argument comes along - Do I want to stay married to them? How do you make good decisions about relationships?
One of my grandfathers had a stroke and was in an unconscious state for a couple of months before he died of pneumonia. The immediate family all gathered from around Australia after the stroke, but Grandpa lingered on for weeks and they all returned home to wait it out. But before they left, the family had to figure out what course of treatment they wanted for their Dad. Should they maintain medication for him or let him just slip away. If he did stop breathing, should he be resuscitated or not? Would they want life support if it was necessary or not? Tough decisions to make. How do you go about making good decisions in circumstances like that.
It may be that you have to face big decisions about money or finances ... What should I do with my savings - all $15 of it? Should I buy a new car or an old car? What sort of car should I get - a sports car or a family wagon? Should I buy a house here in Gladstone or rent? How do you make good decisions about money?
At some point in your life everyone has some big decisions to make, You might be in the middle of a big decision right now. And you are wondering “How should I handle this? What’s the right answer? Where do I turn for help?” Tonight I want to look at what Jesus did before he made a big decision because he made some good decisions.
Luke 6:12-16
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Pray
In this passage, Jesus was faced with a decision that would shape the rest of history. Have you ever been faced with such a decision - probably not. Jesus at this time was selecting 12 men who would be trained and carry on his ministry when He died. But what if he made the wrong decision? Selecting the wrong men and everything he worked for while here on earth might just fizzle. Think about it for a while. Where would Christianity be today if the apostles had failed - just given it all up as a failed experiment and gone back to their old professions of fishing and tax collecting and the like after Jesus had died. We definitely wouldn’t have the NT as it is today. We probably wouldn’t even know much about Jesus Christ at all. There would have been no Christian church. God’s plan of salvation would have been lost to all generations. Given that Christ was going to entrust the truth of his ministry and the health and well being of the Christian church into the hands of these 12 men, this selection was critical - talk about pressure. I hope I never have a decision like that to make.
This was a big decision Jesus had to make and to make it worse, He was under immense pressure in other areas of his life. His enemies were breathing down his neck and plotting against Him. As we’ve looked through the book of Luke, we’ve seen again and again that Jesus seemed to step on toes everywhere he went. What he taught, his attitudes, behaviour and all that he stood for seemed to be offending the establishment. He was a bit of a revolutionary and the Pharisees and the leaders of the Jewish Temple were upset. Actually they were so peeved that the verse before this passage says that they “began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus”. And don’t be fooled, they weren’t planning a surprise party - they were wanting to get rid of this trouble maker for once and for all.
Do you ever feel the weight of decisions on you. Feel that the whole world - or maybe your whole future rests on this one decision? I think that Jesus felt that pressure ... So what did He do?
We read in vs 12 that “Jesus went out into the hills to pray and spent the night praying to God.”
How often do you pray about the decisions of Life?
What did Jesus do when he was faced with a big decision? He Prayed. Simply that. He Prayed. I want to ask you tonight, How often do you pray about the decisions of Life?
God is the best Father you could ever imagine. He is not like some human dads who don’t care for their kids or even abuse them. He is the best Dad ever - he is interested in you and the things that are going on in your life. He wants to hear from you what you are thinking - what you are struggling with. He wants to help you - to be a comfort when you need a shoulder to lean on,
to be an encourager when everything seems like it is going wrong
to be a friend when you feel like everyone else has deserted you.
God wants us to include him in our decision making - and just like a perfect FATHER, God has all the time in the world to sit and listen to us and direct us in our decision making - whether it be a big or small issue. He wants to help us.
Now, I don’t think that God will give a clear answer to you for every decision you need to make. I don’t think He will necessarily write in the clouds - wear the blue shirt today. I don’t think He will make you read a passage about burnt offerings to tell you to put roast lamb on your sandwiches for lunch. I don’t think that he will even show you necessarily what car to buy or where to put your money. But do know that God will provide us with the resources to make those decisions in a godly and wise manner. What resources you ask? - WISDOM
James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Prov 2:6 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Do you want to make good decisions - seek wisdom. Where from - from God. Go to God in prayer and ask for wisdom. He won’t necessarily tell you which choice to make, but He’ll give you all the wisdom you need to make the best choice.
It would be freaky if you were praying about who your future husband was going to be and God put the name Jonathon Rudolph Fizzlebee into your mind. Who’s Jonathan Rudolph Fizzlebee? “I don’t know - but He’s the one for me!!!” So you search high and low for him. Imagine turning up on his door step one day asking “Is your name Jonathon Rudolph Fizzlebee?”
“Yes?”
“Well hello darling - do you want a spring wedding or a summer wedding?”
Dating never would be the same again.
God doesn’t promise to help you decide like that - but He promises to give you wisdom - wisdom to know who we should ask out, who we should marry. But to get this wisdom we need to include him in our decision making. Have you got a decision to make? Well have you prayed about it yet? You need to pray to get wisdom to make your decision making skills sharp.
Some years ago a young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let’s see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "Great you can start Monday!"
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today." Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," answered the foreman, "but we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday."
"But I’m a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the boy’s shock thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your ax?" The young man replied, "I’ve been working too hard to take the time." How about you? Have you been too busy, too hard at work to sharpen your ax? Prayer is the hone that gives you that sharp edge. Without it, the more work you do, the duller you’ll get.
No matter how busy you get and how many other pressures are on you - if you don’t stop to pray, you won’t have the where with all to make any good decisions. You won’t be prepared to choose well when the decisions are needed. You need to keep your wisdom SHARP and you do that by praying. I’ll ask you again - “How often do you pray about the decisions of life?” If you want to make good decisions you need to pray.
How long do you spend praying about the decisions of life
The second thing we see about Jesus’ method of decision making is that his prayer was not just a “Please help me Lord” prayer thrown up to God on the run ... No he was serious about praying and waiting for God for the answer - for wisdom to make the decision. He actually spent all NIGHT praying.
How long do you spend praying about the decisions of your life. This is a challenge to me as much as it is probably to you. Have you ever stayed up all night praying about something? I haven’t I must admit. But this is the example Jesus sets for us. His was an important decision and He devoted time to praying it through with his heavenly father.
How much time do we spend in prayer? 5 mins per day? 10? 20? 30? Are you facing a big decision? How much time are you willing to spend talking to God about it? The amount of time you spend in prayer probably reflects how close you actually are walking with God.
Some of the famous Christians through out history were great prayers. That is why I think they were so influential - because they learnt the power of prayer. You see, prayer is the deadliest weapon we have at our disposal but also the greatest source of sustenance for our daily lives.
„« Jesus often spent all night in prayer because He knew it’s power.
„« Martin Luther said "I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day." Luther knew the effectiveness of prayer.
„« John Wesley wrote - "I have resolved to devote an hour each morning, noon, and evening to prayer -- no pretense, no excuse whatsoever." Without prayer - Wesley wouldn’t have been effective.
„« Yongii Cho who heads up the Full Gospel Church in Korea - probably the largest church in the world - has established a prayer mountain for their church ... “Hundreds of tiny grottoes have been dug into the mountain, and individuals occupy these, praying for hours at a time, sitting or kneeling on the hard floor, a flickering candle the only illumination after dark. I walked around the compound late at night. It was snowing and bitterly cold, but many people were in the grottoes, crying out or singing, in piercing voices, in prayer and worship.
Some even forsook the relative comfort of the spartan grottoes and knelt outside, among trees and bushes on the mountain. When I walked around once more, early the next morning, many of the same worshippers were still at prayer.” People committed to prayer - is it any wonder that the church in Korea has grown so huge - all because people pray.
„« Our brothers and sisters in Vanuatu know how to pray. The week we were there, there was an all night prayer meeting arranged for the pastors, church leaders and their spouses. They climbed a nearby mountain and spent the night praying about the selection of the new chief. How many of us spent a whole night praying about the election of our Prime Minister last month? We met another young guy in his 20’s in another village who would often climb up into the mountain jungles on his own and spend the night praying.
How long do we pray about the decisions of life? How long do we spend communing with God?
Billy Sunday, a famous preacher once said "If some people looked at their watches when they started praying and when they ceased praying, they would think their watches had stopped."
Does your watch seem to stop every time you pray? Maybe you develop your prayer life longer because without it, you life will not have any stability.
Have you ever wondered why a bird sleeping on its perch never falls off? Our budgie sometimes falls off in the middle of the night and flaps and squeals in the dark - quite funny really. But usually birds manage to sleep perfectly well without falling off. How do they manage to do this? The secret is the tendons of the bird’s legs. They are so constructed that when the leg is bent at the knee, the claws contract and grip like a steel trap. The claws refuse to let go until the knees are unbent again. The bended knee gives the bird the ability to hold on to his perch it gives it stability in its life.
Just like a bent knee in a bird helps that bird stay balanced and safe through the long hours of darkness, a knee bent in prayer enables us to get a firmer grip on life and the wisdom needed for decision making. It helps us when we make the big decisions and the small decisions. I want to challenge you as I have been challenged this week that maybe we need to spend more time in prayer. Maybe you should go without lunch one day each week and spend the time in prayer. Your hunger will be a reminder that you need to be praying and relying on God. It may just do our waistlines some good also.
How do we pray about the decisions of life?
The third thing I notice about Jesus’ prayer life is that he prayed in solitude. He went upto a hillside to a QUIET place away from the noise and the people who were desperate to benefit from his healing power. He went away from those who would seek to pressure Him more. He got away from the daily grind and the commitments and went to where he could focus on one thing - GOD. Praying through the busiest parts of the day is good - don’t get me wrong, but we need to set aside specific times for quiet meditation on God.
A man working in an ice factory lost a valuable watch. His fellow workmen searched with him for more than two hours through the sawdust on which the ice was stored, but were unable to find it. They left the plant for lunch and returned to find a little boy with the watch in his hand. "How ever did you find it?" They inquired. He replied, "I just lay down in the sawdust and heard it ticking."
Sometimes we try to find God in our business, our activity and our noise. But we can’t find God that way - we must "be still and quiet - then we can know that He is God."
How do you pray about the decisions of life. Do you take time out and find a place of solitude to spend time one on one with God or do you try to squeeze him into your schedule amidst the noise of the TV.
Conclusion
Jesus knew the importance of including his heavenly Father in the decisions he was making. It was the only way he could make good decisions.
Jesus prayed often to God. How OFTEN do you pray about the decisions of Life? Do we need to pray more often about the big things and the little things. Let’s keep our prayer life sharp and ask for the wisdom that God promises to give us. Wisdom to help us make good decisions.
Jesus prayed at length to his Father. How LONG do we spend praying about the decisions of life? If we don’t have power in our lives or clarity of thought it is probably because we need to be praying more. Let’s be on our knees and develop our grip on life. It has been said that "Preaching affects men; prayer affects God. The pastor who is not a praying pastor is a playing pastor. The congregation which is not a praying congregation is a straying congregation. To be much for God we must be much with God." Do you pray enough. Keep me accountable - ask me how my prayer life is going. I won’t promise to like it, but it will be good for me. Keep each other accountable - ask others in your homegroups of in your youth group how their prayer lives are going.
Lastly, Jesus prayed in quiet solitude. HOW do we pray about the decisions of life? Do you try to throw out prayers between appointments and the noise of the daily routine. Is that the only time you pray? Do you spend time quietly with God so that He has a chance to speak to you also? You need to ...
I want to read a poem as we finish and then I want to play a song quietly while you have a chance to just pause and do business with God. I don’t know what He has laid on your heart tonight, but I pray that you’ll have the courage to do something about it.
I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish that
I didn’t have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn’t God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn’t ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
He said, "But you didn’t seek."
I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock,
God gently and lovingly chided,
"My child, you didn’t knock."
I woke up early this morning,
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take time to pray.
-- Alan Grant
