Sermon Central
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Road Signs For Life - Part One Series
Contributed by Paul Newell on Jul 19, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Sometimes we need a sign. I don’t mean a miracle, I mean a sign. Throughout this "road trip" we call life God has given us a practical life map - His Word. But we also need to pay attention to the "signs along the way", road signs to help us make sure we
Terrie, the girls and I just returned from a brief road trip. It was a fast drive up Central California to visit Benji on his 19th birthday. (Benji is working at a Christian Camp for the summer.)
I had driven to Hume Lake one other time when I dropped Benj off in June, but honestly, I’m not sure I could have made it without the map we carried with us. It laid out a very straight forward route. But I also discovered another fact very quickly. The map wasn’t enough.
The map showed me every highway and town I needed to go through. It even pointed to the final destination. But the map wasn’t enough – I soon found out that if I didn’t may attention to the road signs along the way I would get lost.
That’s exactly what happened to me on my way home from my first trip. I thought I was on the right road…as I looked at the map it appeared I was headed down the right highway, but when I finally started paying attention to the road signs I realized I was off track.
I needed the map, but it was the road signs that kept me on course.
Our second trip to Hume was less eventful because I paid attention to the road signs!
The same can be said for our entire life! God has given us a practical life map to live our lives for Him. He’s pointed to our final destination. The Bible tells us which roads we should travel. It explains everything we need to know for this trip through life on our way to heaven.
But just knowing the direction, the highways is not enough. We need some road signs to help us make sure we are headed in the right direction.
Another way to say this is – sometimes we need to now “what now?” What do I do when I don’t know what to do? Where do I turn when I don’t know when direction to go?
Have you ever been that frustrated? You just didn’t know what to do or which way to turn?
In the end the problem was that you were not reading the road signs. God posts them along our way – but we have to pay attention.
This morning and next week we want to discover together six road signs for life; six specific signs that, if you follow them, will guide you in the right direction – always. This a 100% guarantee. If you answer these questions and follow God’s direction you will be assured of the right answer.
How do I know? Because God’s Word guarantees it!
Proverbs 2:9 promises: “you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will know how to find the right course of action every time.”
Did you catch that? “you will know how to find the right course of action every time.”
If you want to make sure you are always going in the right direction, if you want to make sure your decisions are always the best, then follow these six road signs.
The first road sign for life is what we will call
THE DIRECTIONAL SIGN.
You’ve got to be willing to follow the directions and God’s Word, the Bible gives all the direction you need!
The first question you need to ask yourself is what does the Bible say?
What does the Bible say about my problem, my decision, the choice I need to make?
Does what I am about to do fit into what the Bible says I should do?
Is this the direction the Bible says I should go?
Often the answer to that question is pretty obvious. There are some definite things the Bible tells us we SHOULD NOT DO. Those are called sin. And remember, sin is best defined as anything that will hurt you or someone else. If the Bible says no – they I shouldn’t.
On the other hand, there are some definite things the Bible tells us we SHOULD DO. The Bible tells me to be kind. The Bible tells me to be honest. The Bible tells me to give to God what belongs to Him.
If the Bible tells me I should go in a certain direction, then I’d better follow that direction. Why, because God already knows where my choices will lead me. He already knows what’s going to happen next. His Word tells me what to stay away from and what to get involved with.
The Bible is God’s direction book, God’s map for our lives. The more we understand it, the more we follow it, the more our lives will “work”.
There’s actually a whole chapter in the Bible that deals specifically with following God’s direction. It’s no accident that it’s the longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119. Listen to some of its advice:
