Who’s Leading Your Life?

Introduction

I am the captain of my own ship. Because I am a cleric. And what that means is that I love that word. Control. How much control. Are you a control freak? I’ve heard that for some reason. A few times. I’m not going to say who said it. I like control. But you know one thing you discover in life, and if you haven’t already discovered it, you need to, and that is that you’re not really in as much control as you think you are. And that is really the point of the text in Ecclesiastes chapter 7, where Solomon is lamenting some of the inequities of life. And he says, look, make the best of it. In verse 7, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works.

Not our kind of wine. Okay, just let me add that. We can study that later. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. In other words, take care of business. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love. All the days of your fleeting life. Marriage and companionship’s a good thing. Which he has given you unto the Son. It is a gift and blessing of God, for this is your reward in life and your toil in which you have labored unto the Son. And whatever your hands find to do, invest with all your might, he says. For there is no activity or planning or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. Your time here is brief. Make hay while the sun shines, we say.

Again, I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift. The battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the discerning, nor wealth or wealth to the discerning, bread to the wise, nor favor to men of ability. For time and chance overtakes them all. Moreover, man does not know his time, like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds trapped in a snare. So the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. Also, this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed. As most of you know, Sherry and I have just returned from a six-day trip to the great Northwest. We went specifically not to see the beautiful sights that we got to see, but to spend time with Brian Orf and his new bride, the once amber Storm, who was, of course, a member here for a considerable period of time.

On day two, when we finally were refreshed from day one events and flying all the way to the West Coast, on day two, we decided that we were going to go to Cannon Beach. And some of you are familiar with that, but as we were driving there, Amber was reporting how that some fella on Fox News was saying that in the very near future, a tsunami was going to hit the Oregon coast. And I thought, well, how do they know that? I mean, how, when is that going to happen? But when we got to Cannon Beach, we did notice more than once this type of sign that said, tsunami evacuation route. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever remember in my lifetime a tsunami hitting the Oregon coast.

Well, let’s just suppose on the day that we were at Cannon Beach and we’re walking down the beach, and oh, by the way, as we were doing that, as it was a warm day for Oregon. It was in the 70s, maybe, and as the sun was shining, it felt pretty good. And the water was freezing, so I tried to stay away from it. But Sherry actually went and got into the water, and at one point, as she’s standing there, she was overwhelmed by the moment, and she just raised her hand and said, the Pacific Ocean. She was seeing it for the very first time. But I was thinking, if that sign, tsunami evacuation route, is not going to do us any good if the tsunami occurs while we’re standing on the beach.

We are not going to have time to get to our cars and drive up the nearby mountains to escape the tsunami. And if that would have happened while we were there, that’s just I’m powerless to control. That. And as I thought about these problematic control issues, I come to my next slide, which has a couple of purposes. Number one, Amber wanted to say hi to all of you and tell you that she misses you. But the other part of this picture is you’ll notice that I’m not driving. In fact, I did not drive the entire time that I was there. For me not to drive for a period of six days seems really strange. That’s a lack of control I don’t like. So I’m sitting in the back seat.

1. Lead the Life the Lord Has Assigned

The other problem with this particular photo is that we’re actually moving in the vehicle. And her hands are not on the wheel. Not only am I not in control, she’s not in control. And all of that brings me to a New Testament passage that again emphasizes in some ways our lack of control in our circumstances. I want you to read with me again in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 17. And you might remember that this is written in the context of instruction about marriage, instruction about marriage of a believer to an unbeliever, and Paul’s instructions as to what to do in those cases. And in the midst of a chapter that is devoted to instruction on marriage and living the single life and the responsibilities of married life, he makes these interesting observations in the middle that to my knowledge I’ve never preached on in a sermon, at least an entire sermon.

So here we go. Verse 17. Only as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. Now, my initial study was done from the English Standard Version, which says, let each person lead the life the Lord has assigned to him. I like that rendering. Let each person lead the life the Lord has assigned to him. And thus I direct in all the churches. Was any man called, already circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing. And uncircumcision is nothing. But what matters is keeping the commandments of God. Simple point, succinctly stated, but so true. What really matters, is keeping the commandments of God. Let each remain in that condition in which he was called.

This statement has been abused by many. More on that in just a second. Were you called while a slave? Don’t worry about it. But if you are able also to become free, if you are able, do that also. Rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freed man. Likewise, he who was called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought with the price. Do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each man remain with God in that condition in which he was called. I want to emphasize that phrase in verse 17. Lead the life that the Lord has assigned to you. What are we to learn about an expression like that in regard to our own circumstances?

Somebody says, Oh, I’m in a lot of pain. Did the Lord assign that kind of life for me? Thank you very much. What is that about? Or my marriage is less than I would desire it to be, as the Lord assigned that particular trouble to me in my life. Is that what this text is saying? I think all of this is anticipatory of what he’s going to say in verse 26 when he says, in view of the present distress, it is good for a person to remain as he is. And he’s particularly talking about the marriage aspect of this. He says, look, if you’re married and you have a right to be so before God, then stay that way. Don’t look for an exit package. Fulfill your responsibilities before God in that union.

If you’re single, stay that way, especially in light of the present distress, and I really recommend that you stay that way. But of course, if you have a right to marriage, it is better to marry than to burn, he said earlier in the chapter. But people come along with this text and they try to manipulate it and change it and say that what Paul is saying is that regardless of the relationship that you’re in, you can stay in that relationship. If you come to the Lord, whatever condition in which you find yourself, you can stay. If it is what technically would be an adulterous union, you can stay in that. You just got to, from that point on, stay with the one you’re with. That is not what Paul is saying.

Paul is not denying the need for repentance from a sinful course. He’s not saying, if you’re a homosexual, remain in homosexuality. If you’re an adulterer, remain an adultery. And notice the illustrations that he uses of either married or unmarried, circumcised or uncircumcised, bond or free, or slave or free. What he’s saying is that those benign circumstances, in and of themselves, you can serve the Lord in any of them. So don’t look for an exit plan. Now, if you can pay the debt or whatever you must do to be free from that kind of enslavement, and he’s certainly not telling masters that they have a right to do whatever they want to do to slaves. He’s certainly not saying that and says that in other passages. But he’s saying in whatever condition you’re, even in the case of one being owned by an abusive master, you can still serve the Lord.

Even in a marriage that’s less than ideal, you can serve the Lord. Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, you can serve the Lord. And so one thing I learned from this passage is that our freedom is not absolute. Yes, we are free in Christ, but we are, first of all, not free to do whatever we good and well please. We must not turn the grace of God into licentiousness, Jude verse 4 says. I was teaching that last weekend at Beaumont when I was with the good folks over there. That’s one verse that I emphasize. It’s not a freedom to do as we good and well please. It is not a freedom to exit marriage if we please. It is not a freedom that necessarily is going to relieve us from a slave master relationship.

2. Who Is Leading Your Life?

But we are not enslaved to men. We are enslaved to Christ. And the one who is employed as a servant needs to see himself as a slave to Christ, Paul would say in Ephesians chapter 6. But here’s the point that I want to make with you and ask you this morning. Are you allowing the Lord to lead in your life? Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him. And so who is leading your life? In the particular graphic on the slides, it seems to represent that others may be leading us. And we certainly need to give some consideration to that because other people influence us. And they cause us to go in certain directions if we allow them to. They are not so powerful that we cannot refuse their influence and leadership.

But so often other people are directing our steps for us as we succumb to their desires for me, which don’t have my best intentions at heart. Young people, you’re about to go back to school. You’re already in school, aren’t you? Wonderful. You don’t feel the same way. But other influences happen when we’re around schoolmates. And they’re trying to persuade and lead us in a certain direction. Other people can affect where we go. But here’s what I want you to think about. The greater influence that will cause you to make right decisions about how other people are leading you is that God must be leading your life. You’ll take care of those influences and make the right decisions if you allow God to lead in your life.

How often do you think about the course that the Lord is plotting for your life? Versus the one you’re mapping out? Again, we have control issues. And we want to be in control. I’m going to do this at such a certain time, and some of us get really fixed in our routines, and I’m going to do this, and I’m going to pursue that, and I’m going to go here and I’m going to go there, and we map out our lives. But who’s really in control? Who says you’re going to do all of that? Do not boast about tomorrow. Who knows what a day may bring forth, the wise writer says in Proverbs 27 and verse 1. You’re not really in control of everything. Are you allowing God to lead in your life?

3. God, We Want You to Lead Our Lives

And it’s really interesting as I started thinking about this concept of that phrase that a lot of us who pray publicly have shied away from because it has been so often used through the years. And it sort of became like a catchphrase you throw in at the end of the prayer where the fellow says, Guide, guard and direct us in Jesus’ name, amen. And so a lot of us will shy away from using that phrase because we’ve been hearing it all of our lives, and it somewhat becomes trite. What do you think about that? Is it just a trite expression? Or are we really asking God and do we really believe that He is going to guide, guard, and direct our steps? It’s really a wonderful expression.

Maybe we need to change it up a little bit from time to time. But God, we want you to lead our lives. You know, the Bible talks a lot about that. And that’s what occurred to me as I read that statement in the English Standard Version about let each person lead the life the Lord has assigned to him. Look at Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart. And I’ve always recommended this as a prayer we need to pray. I mean, just open up your Bibles, pray it to God. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any hurtful way in me. I may not see it as I ought.

Sometimes my vision is obscured about myself. If there’s any hurtful way in me, help me to see that, and then this. Lead me in the everlasting way. You know, people that are concerned about whether or not they’re going to make it to heaven need to be praying this prayer. Lead me in the everlasting way. And then do you believe that God is not only intimately acquainted with all my ways, as he said earlier in Psalm 139, he has enclosed me behind them before. Do you really believe that? That he knows everything that you’re thinking before it even becomes a word, as he said earlier in Psalm 139. Do you believe that God is not only aware of the activities and circumstances of your life, but that he is also arranging circumstances for you to encounter.

Circumstances that will help you to grow. Circumstances that may be chastening from the Lord that we read about in Hebrews chapter 12 that trains us in the way of righteousness. Circumstances like Paul would talk about an open door of service to others.

Who’s leading your life? How often does it cross your mind that you think about, you know, God may want to use me in a certain way today to influence another. I may be his conduit to that person. After all, we are vessels of honor in 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy chapter 2. And so, how might God be using me today? Perhaps there is an open door of an effectual service for me that I can affect someone else’s life here today. Boy, we get in trouble when we want to bring Christianity down to a Sunday Wednesday kind of thing. It’s an everyday kind of thing. And what he’s saying in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 is, you can serve the Lord in whatever circumstance that you’re in. Another passage.

Familiar one. Proverbs chapter 3, but wonderful verses. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. God is involved in the circumstances of our lives. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Do you remember when I preached about Beniah, the son of Jehoiada? I know some of the kids do.

The fellow that went down into the pit and killed a lion on a snowy day. 2 Samuel chapter 23 tells us. What was that all about? That’s about faith. That’s about the Lord leading in Beniah’s life. His event for that day was to trust God that he could defeat that lion and gain a victory. That was his circumstances for that day. That’s where the Lord led him. And he was victorious. And those men that were soldiers of faith in 2 Samuel chapter 23 were just that. They weren’t just great military leaders. They were men of faith like their king.

And one more verse. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 13. In the New Testament, as Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray, he says this pray this. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

4. How Can I Effectively Serve the Lord Today?

How can I effectively serve the Lord today? So often we are not affected today because we’re so thinking about tomorrow. And he’s going to address that later on in the Sermon on the Mount when he says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things, material concerns that we have, the accumulation of clothing and food and shelter, those kinds of things. He says, those things will take care of themselves. Seek first the kingdom of God. Let that be the priority of your day of your existence. And he says, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Tomorrow will take care of itself. When tomorrow becomes today, that’s when you really get concerned about how it ought to be lived. But all you have is today.

What are you going to do tomorrow? I don’t know. I don’t know that there’s going to be it tomorrow. But I know what I can do today, and I can worship the Lord with his people today. It’s his special day. I know that’s what today is about. Listen to this. Your circumstances, whatever they may, desirable or undesirable, are a vehicle for God to display the transforming power and nature of the gospel. I can’t control a lot of stuff. In fact, Sherry just sent this to me this morning, so I had to throw it in there. Things that I cannot control. Those are the things on the outside. We would like to control, man. I’d like to make people do things I wanted to do. Especially last night as I was driving back from the airport.

It seemed like everybody was going 45 miles an hour and people were weaving in and out of traffic. Don’t be on the roads after 11 p.m. in Houston. It’s dangerous. I wouldn’t like to control other people’s actions. I would even like to control their opinions or their mistakes or their feelings. And certainly we would like to control adversity. But I can’t control all of that. But I’ll tell you what I can control.

In whatever circumstance I am, I can control my pursuit of righteousness. I can control my attitude, my effort, my behavior, my actions. I can control my holy behavior as the Lord instructs me. I can even control my destiny. Oh, wait a minute. God’s the judge. God’s the judge. I know. But he promises if I trust in him, he’ll lead me to glory. I am in control of my destiny. As I continue to trust him and his word to guide me. He will lead me in the everlasting way. That’s why I had John so ably lead. Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. I can do that every day. He was going to sing, God will take care of you. That would have worked too, I said.

God will take care of you. Who’s leading your life? And the final question is.

5. There Let Him Remain With God

There let him remain with God. Regardless of your circumstances, your employment or unemployment, married or unmarried, circumcised or uncircumcised, regardless of your social class, your ethnicity. Serve the Lord and remain with him. The most significant pursuit of each day is not the accomplishment of the schedule. Boy, I need to hear this.

It is not making sure I get at least a little smidgen of entertainment. Rather, the greatest pursuit of each day is making sure I remain with him. And I give attention sufficiently to the needs of my soul. Ross blew me away during the Lord’s Supper. I mean, you just rolled up that stuff about the servant in five minutes, man. That was deep. Was that awesome or what? When he first mentioned that, I’m thinking Israel failed as a servant. Jesus is the ideal servant. That’s what Isaiah’s talking about. And what does the dream? What is the dream for God’s servant? I called you in righteousness. I hold you by the hand and watch over you. God will take care of you. I appoint you as a covenant to the people and a light to the nations.

Are you a voluntary servant? As Jesus was, our leader. That’s the life he’s called you to lead. So I’ll tell you, that’s why I’m going to be here tonight at 5 o’clock. I am going to be slapped down tired tonight. At 5 o’clock. I’ve got jet lag going. But we’re going to be here. Oh, I know. Tony, if you’re not here, you get fired. I get it. But I would like to think that even if this wasn’t my job, that tonight at 5 o’clock I would be here.

Conclusion

Because it’s not about me. It’s about the Lord. It’s about feeding my soul with worship. It’s about thinking on spiritual things. It’s about you, his people. And I’m called to be a servant. And it’s amazing to me that so many people can claim to be Christians and not understand that they’re servants. If we don’t get that, we don’t even understand Jesus. Two questions. Boy, these are the only ones that are going to matter. Who’s leading you? Do you remain with him? Lord, help us to walk the path of righteousness. Lord, lead us to glory. May that be our prayer. And if the Lord is not leading your life, did you also catch the passage in Isaiah 42? Prisoners that need to come out of the dungeon in darkness.

That’s the offer of the gospel. Imprisoned by sin, made free by our Lord. Can we assist you in embracing that wonderful provision now? Let’s stand and sing together.