Using Your Head

 desperately need to use our heads wisely. We How many people get in trouble because they don‟t think before they act?  must use our heads wisely, for our actions come from our We heads. “As he thinks within himself, so he is” (Prov 23:7, NASB). “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil” (Matt 12:34-35, ESV). “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matt 15:18-20, ESV).

Scripture provides guidelines for thinking. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8, ESV). Tonight, we want to explore what Scripture says about using our heads.

 Israelites were preparing to enter Canaan. The Great battles lay ahead & it would be quite natural for the Israelites to have a great deal of fear. “You shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid” (Deut 7:18-19, ESV). When we are surrounded by fear, we need to remember what great things God has done.

 we forget what God has done, we encounter a host of If problems. Pagans forgot God & suffered greatly for it. “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom 1:21, ESV). They knew God & had the dictates of conscience to guide them (Rom 2:14). But, they failed to honor God; therefore, God “forgot” about them. “Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done” (Rom 1:28, ESV).

 they were wise, they would understand this; they would “If discern their latter end!” (Duet 32:29, ESV). “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12, ESV).

 need to give serious thought to the end of life. We  those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of “In death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, „Thus says the LORD, “Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover” ‟ ” (2 Ki 20:1, ESV). “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt 24:44, ESV). There are financial preparations that must be made. There are “family preparations” that must be made. Most importantly, there are spiritual preparations that must be made.

Are you prepared for your death?

 his farewell address, Samuel encourages the people to In remember God‟s blessings. “Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Sam 12:24, ESV). Samuel prays that God‟s blessings will prompt the people to obedience.

 Lord has provided physical blessings beyond measure. The “You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy” (Ps 65:9-13, ESV). “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17, ESV).

 live in a land of plenty. We globalrichlist.com. I am the 47,380,745th richest person in the world. Consider that there are 6.8 billion people in the world. I am in the top 0.78% in the world! About 3 billion people in the world live on less than $2 a day! About 1.3 billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day!  are SOOOOOOOO rich!!! We

God has provided spiritual blessings beyond number. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3, ESV). Ephesians 1 outlines what those spiritual blessings are: we are holy & blameless before God; we have been adopted as sons; we have redemption through Jesus‟ blood; we have been made to know the mystery of God‟s will; we have obtained an inheritance; we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of our inheritance.

 need to give serious thought to our bountiful blessings. We These blessings should prompt us to obedience. These blessings should encourage us in dark days.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps 8:3-5, ESV). God‟s concern for man is mind-boggling.  are often sinful & ungrateful, yet he cares about us! We

 Scriptures repeatedly affirm God‟s concern for humanity. The “He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath” (Ps 78:38, ESV). “You have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (Js 5:11, ESV). “He cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7, ESV).  you think about God‟s concern for you? Do Does that concern encourage you as you face difficulties in life? Does that concern encourage you to stay as far away from sin as possible?

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb 12:3, ESV). We‟re told to look at Jesus‟ example. “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (Jn 13:15, ESV). “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 Jn 2:6, ESV).  need to remember Jesus‟ example. We  example can encourage us in difficulty. His  need to follow his example. We

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Using Your Head

by JJustim on Mar 25, 2010

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Using Your Head — Presentation Transcript