My Ways Are Not Your Ways!
Introduction:
A. [Read Isaiah 55:8-9]
1. Man has made things unnecessarily hard on himself by not
listening to God.
a. Adam and Eve lost their home in Eden, because they did
not listen to God.
b. Israel was carried off into captivity, because they did not
listen to God.
c. Men today still suffer as a result of not listening to God.
2. God's thought are far above our thoughts.
a. God, not man, is "all knowing," so it only makes sense
that His thoughts are not just above our thoughts, but "far"
above our thoughts.
b. His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours that
He compares them to the heavens being above the earth.
B. God tells us His ways, in His word, and if we will but listen to
Him, we can save ourselves from a lot of grief.
1. He has given us all things pertaining unto life and godliness
(II Peter 1:3).
2. He has given us His word which is profitable for doctrine,
reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, and if
we will just use it, and apply it we can be perfect, and throughly
furnished unto all good works (II Timothy 3:16-17).
Let's consider the superior ways, and thoughts of the Almighty God.
I. Compare man's and God's thoughts concerning material things.
A. Man says...
1. Money, and material things are what are important, and are
what will make you happy.
a. Garages and basements are full of toys (expensive toys) that
men have bought, thinking that they would make them happy.
b. Just this morning, as I was eating breakfast, I saw a paid T.V.
program that was aimed at showing you how to have great
wealth...all the fancy things of life (the opening scene showed
a Corvette parked in front of a multi-million dollar home), so
you can be happy.
c. Evidently most people do believe that money is the answer,
for although they had a show "Life Styles Of The Rich And
Famous," I have never seen "Life Styles Of The Poor And
Content."
2. Therefore, man says to obtain the money, and the material things,
you need to....
a. Put these things first in your life.
b. How many husbands and fathers have fallen for this lie?
1) They become workaholics so they can give their families all
these things.
2) But, while their working 16 hrs a day, 6-days a week, their
children grow up, their marriage suffers, and they wake up
one day and realize that they are 50 or 60 years old, and
what do they have to show for it?
B. What does God say?
1. God says we do need to work for a living.
a. He that will not work, neither shall he eat (II Thess.3:10).
b. He that provideth not for his own is worse than an infidel
(I Timothy 5:8).
c. When God put Adam in the garden of Eden, He expected
Adam to "dress and keep" it (Genesis 2:15).
2. God says we should not make material things our priority in life.
a. I John 2:15.
b. Colossians 3:1-2.
c. Matthew 6:19-20.
3. If we will follow God's ways, and thoughts....
a. We will have everything we need in this life, and we will also
have a home in heaven.
b. We will be able to enjoy our time upon this world, while we
wait for the time to spend all eternity with Him.
c. We will have the time to be the husbands, and fathers our
Heavenly Father would have us to be.
II. Compare man's, and God's thoughts concerning marriage.
A. Man's thoughts..marriage is only semi binding.
1. This is seen in the divorce rate in our country.
a. Divorce rate 2 out of 3 end in divorce.
b. You can buy "do it yourself divorce kits."
c. How long will it be before you can get a divorce on line?
2. It is also seen in pre-nuptual agreements.
a. What does a pre-nup suggest? = divorce is an option!
b. If you are going to have a pre-nup you ought to have your
vows changed:
1) Standard wording..."for better, for worse, till death do
you part."
2) Changed wording..."for better, and if worse should happen
then you can part as per your pre-nup
agreement."
B. God's thoughts.
1. Marriage is binding, and permanent.
a. Genesis 2:24:
1) Cleave to his wife = be glued to.
2) Be one flesh = not intended to be seperated.
b. Matthew 19:3-6.
1) The Pharisees question expresses the idea most people
have today, and that is that one can divorce for any reason.
2) Jesus, in response goes all the way back to the beginning,
for that shows what God's intentions have always been
concerning marriage, and that is...what He has joined
together, let not man put asunder.
c. God hates divorce - Malachi 2:16.
2. The only reason God gives for one to be able to divorce their
spouse and marry another is for the innocent party to put away
their spouse for fornication.
a. Matthew 19:9.
b. Matthew 5:32.
c. Mark 10:11-12.
3. If man would only listen to God's thoughts....
a. He would be more careful before he entered into marriage.
b. Would teach his children how serious it is so by the time
they got to the age of marrying, they would make better
choices.
c. As a result there would be fewer divorces: which is hard on
the husband, the wife, and the innocent children. Anyone
who has been through a divorce, been the child of a divorced
couple, or in some way related to those who have been
divorced, know how heart breaking it is.
d. If man would only listen to God's thoughts, he could save
himself a lot of pain.
III. Compare man's, and God's thoughts concerning sin.
A. Man's ideas...
1. Something is only sinful if it is specifically named as sinful,
and there are things that are not specifically named, that men
like to do.
a. Dancing.
b. Gambling.
c. Drugs.
2. Because man has the idea that something has to be specifically
named to be sinful, he involves himself in many things, such as
these, and suffers as a result.
a. Dancing can lead to lust, and lust to fornication and adultery.
b. Gambling has caused many people to lose their homes, and
destroyed many marriages.
c. Drugs have cost people everything, including their lives.
B. God's thoughts...
1. Something does not have to be named specifically to be sinful.
a. Galatians 5:19-21a = and such like.
b. Ephesians 5:11 = unfruitful works of darkness (one must
apply the scriptures to determine what is
an unfruitful work of darkness).
c. I Thessalonians 5:22 = not just what is evil, but what even
has the appearance of evil.
2. When one applies what the Bible specifically says, one can see
that there are a lot of things that men do, that should not be done:
Gambling for instance. The Bible teaches...
a. We are to work for a living (II Thessalonians 3:10), not live off
the losses of others for a living.
b. We are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us
(Matthew 7:12).
c. Work no ill toward our neighbor (Romans 13:10).
d. When you apply those things...you cannot gamble!
e. We need to apply the scriptures, this way, in everything we do.
Conclusion:
A. Our Heavenly Father loves us, and He has given us His word that we
might know His ways, and His thoughts.
B. We need seek to know His ways, and His thoughts, and we need to
humbly submit to what He says.
C. If there are things in your life that you have been doing that are not
according to what God says...God, in His mercy, and grace has made
means whereby your sins can be forgiven.
1. If you have obeyed His gospel, but have sin in your life, He would
have you confess, and repent.
2. If you have not obeyed His gospel, He would have you do so, so
your sins can be washed away by the blood of His Son.