Sermon on 27 October 2019 by Brother Paul
Proverbs 19:2 - “Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, And he sins who hastens with his feet.”
God is not telling us to be emotionless. We do not want to be led by our emotions. The person who wrote the verse is cautioning us that if we live by our emotions without understanding, we will make many mistakes. It is important that we know what God wants us to do. We must be aware of the knowledge of the Lord.
4 characters in the bible who were led by emotions without the knowledge of God or ignoring Gods words:
1. Jephthah
He was one of the commanders. He was filled with drive wanting to conquer the enemy. When he was full of emotions, he used them to drive his behaviour which was not of the Lord. Out of emotion, he made a vow to the Lord. He won the battle and God gave him the victory. When we serve the Lord, we must be careful what the Bible teaches us. He made a dangerous vow and was doing against the law of Lord. God cautions us not to make vows as it is due to emotions, not the knowledge of the Lord. We should be led by what God wants us to do.
Judges 11:29-40 - “Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.” So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.” So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.”
Deuteronomy 18:9-10a - ““When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,”
Matthew 5:33-37 - ““Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
2. David
The Ark of Covenant is the most holy item in the tabernacle. David should not have brought the Ark of Covenant out using the oxen. Although he loved the Lord a lot, he didn’t have clear knowledge and understanding of God and sinned against God. David realised that it is important to study God’s word and command clearly. He must do it according to God’s way, not his.
1 Chronicles 13:1-10 - “Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim. And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets. And when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.”
Deuteronomy 10:8 - “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.”
1 Chronicles 15:13-15 - “For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.”
3. Moses
People were complaining to Moses because they were thirsty and Moses was not happy as they were stubborn and refused to humble themselves in front of God. However, Moses didn’t respond in a way pleasing to God. God told Moses to speak to the rock but he struck the rock instead. We may be hot heated and angry. They are normal but we must respond to what God has instructed us than to respond in our own emotions.
Numbers 20:6-12 - “So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.””
4. Peter and the other disciples
Due to his emotions at that time, he did not believe what the Lord has said. If Peter had known that He is the Son of God, he would have taken His words seriously but he denied it with strong emotions. We tend to block and shun away from what God speaks to us.
Mark 14:27-31 - “Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be. ” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.”
Jephthah, David, Moses and Peter were zealous you doing things for the Lord. But at both instances, they were led by emotions rather than the knowledge of the Lord. All of us love God and want to be zealous for Him. We need to be careful not to be led by emotions without the knowledge of Him in serving Him.
In church, many of us are willing to serve the Lord. We must be serving Him in His ways and not just by our emotions.
How shall we be led?
1. Fear God
Proverbs 9:10 - ““The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Psalm 111:10 - “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
We are told that when we are in God’s presence, we will fear God. Our God is the Almighty God and everything is created by and through Him. We should take His words very seriously. Fearing the Lord isn’t being scared of Him. He wants us to come to Him in obedience and humility. When we follow after them, it gives us life as the word of God gives life to us. We shouldn’t fear God just by coming to church but in everyday in our lives.
The fear of God makes us to be always humble, obedient and keep His words and commandments seriously.
2. Always seek God and pray
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - “pray without ceasing,”
We are never disconnected with God as He has placed in us the Holy Spirit. Jesus always distances Himself away from the crowd to pray. He never ceases to intercede for you and me. If He don’t stop praying, what about us? King David always go to God for prayer and wait for His reply. We should come to the Lord in prayer before making any decisions. He will lead you to the right people and wisdom to make godly decisions. Prayer is to connect to God and know His will. We pray because we are poor in spirit and in need of Him all the time. Our attitude towards prayer must be set right. We shouldn’t pray for authority and power. He wants us to abide and trust in Him. When we pray or fast, set our hearts right as God is searching for the right hearts rather than outward actions.
Luke 5:16 - “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”
Hebrews 7:25 - “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
3. Be led by the knowledge of the Lord through a) His words
We need to read God’s words and take them seriously. We can by hurt by situations around us and fight back. However, we need to understand God’s words. We need to read His words day and night and take time to chew upon it and let God speak to us. Don’t rush in letting God speak to us. God wants us to be still in His presence. The more you do that, the more you will be filled with His words. As we read God’s word, we should do according to His word and He will be pleased. Words that God speaks live forever. He is the same today, yesterday and forever. If all of us were to know that word of God is power and abide in them, God will bring us through in all situations.
Matthew 4:4 - “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ””
John 6:63 - “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Read God’s words daily. Remember His words. Meditate them day and night. Obey them. Do them.
4. He led by the knowledge of the Lord through b) The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit lives in you. Because of what Christ has done, it is His pleasure to bless us the Holy Spirit to guide us. We need to discern our flesh and the Spirit living in us. Results of sinful nature are all from our flesh. To be led by the Spirit is to do what is of the Spirit. We need to put off our old sinful nature and renew it with God’s words to know Him more and more and put on Jesus. When you know that you sin against God, the Holy Spirit convicts our heart and we will be quick to repent. We are not perfect but we also know that God is always patient with us.
Galatians 5:16 - “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:19-21 - “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:22-23 - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Emotions include anger, pity, joyous, sorrowful, etc. We can be angry, but our actions must be governed by Gods words and love. Imagine if God is angry with us without His love. It is important to be like God - slow to anger, but great in mercy. It is good to be on fire for the Lord, but be led through the knowledge of the Lord.
Psalm 145:8 - “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.”
Take time to read the word of God. If you finished the Bible, it is good to reread it again. The Bible is like a love letter from God to us. When we read His love letter, it is not enough to read one round. Internalise it and know what He really wants. Read His words until we really know that He is Lord.
Do not be led by emotion, but rather,
1. Fear God Always
2. seek God and Pray
3. Be led by the knowledge of the Lord through His words and the Holy Spirit
Amen.
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