Discerning God's Will

I am very excited to be back with you again as we talk this morning from Second Timothy, chapter three, verses 14 through 17. And so let me invite you to take your Bibles and turn to Second Timothy three, 14 through 17. As you're turning there. Want to go ahead and ask for your forbearance this morning. I have been sick this week and I have a bit of a sore throat and a little bit of a cough and I've been trying to pray that down this morning and yesterday. And I have a cup of water up here. And so if I'm a little less than gregarious at times, it's because I'm trying not to shoot the voice before tonight. So if I can just make it through today, everything will be OK. Also, I have a very kind of funny and unusual request in a church this size. I am guessing that there is at least one person who is blessed with a blackberry. If you have a blackberry and if you are coming to evening worship tonight, I would love it if you would bring your charger and loan that to me. So that as I travel home, should I veer off the side of the road or should a deer decide that he wants to greet me? I could call my wife and let her know why I'm getting home so late. And so if somebody feels led of the spirit to come up to me after the service and instead of saying something like good sermon, my life has been changed. Brother Nathan, I have a Blackberry. That would be great. And we'll make arrangements for me to charge the phone up during our time together tonight. So. Let me invite you, if you turn to Second Timothy chapter three verses 14 through 17. Let's stand together in honor of God's word. But as for you. Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we are so very grateful for the opportunity that we have on this Lord's Day to gather together and to worship you. We thank you for the ways that we have worshipped you through prayer and through song and through giving. And Father, we ask now that you would grant us the grace to worship you through the word. We pray, Father, that in these next few moments, your Holy Spirit would work through your word among your people for your glory. We pray that you would grant us soft hearts and open minds. I pray, Father, that you would be with me as the messenger and pray, Lord, that everything I say would bring glory to you and would be a blessing to your people. And I pray now, Lord, that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be pleasing in your sight. Oh, Lord, my rock and my redeemer for the sake of the gospel and for the good of this church. And we pray these things in Jesus name. I'm in. You may be seated. There's a lot of different ways that this passage this morning could be preached. A lot of different legitimate ways that this passage could be preached. It is a passage that is primarily about the inspiration and authority of scripture. But I want to approach this passage from a very specific angle this morning that I think is relevant to where you are right now in the life of your church as you're searching for a new pastor. And so what I want to talk to you about this morning is discerning God's will by knowing God's word. Anyone here remember the Psychic Friends Network? Remember that Dionne Warwick and all her friends with the infomercials that would come on for $3.99 a minute? You could talk to Dionne Warwick and her friends and you could find out what it is that you needed to know because they would use their psychic powers to give you advice. I don't know if any of you ever fell for that. I hope you didn't. But a lot of people did fall for that. Between 1990 and 1998, the Psychic Friends Network grossed over $100 million. through 399 a minute phone calls. It's just absolutely amazing. The charm did eventually wear off. Apparently, they lost their powers and around 1999, it was unforeseen by them that they would have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But nevertheless, it was a good run while it lasted and lots of people took advantage of the Psychic Friends Network. And of course, psychic hotlines are not the only unusual ways that people try to determine the future. or direction for their lives, there are things like tarot cards, fortune telling, horoscopes in the checkout line at the grocery store, the magic eight ball, one that was popular when I was in high school, Ouija boards. I mean, the list could go on, right? These different ways that people think, sometimes seriously, sometimes quite seriously, people think that they're able to divine the future by using these things. These different methods are all dopey at best and occultic at worst. But the question remains a relevant one, doesn't it? I mean, how can we find direction for our lives? How can we know what we need to do as individuals? How can we know what we need to do as families? How can we know what the future holds for us as local churches? So this morning we're going to talk about discerning God's will through knowing God's word. And what I want to do for you is lay a foundation about how we can know God's will and how we can walk in his will. What's a legitimate way that we as Christians can try to discern the future and the decisions that we ought to make and the things that we ought to do. I'm going to argue this morning that the ultimate source that we look to to know God's will is the Bible, the written word of God. I do think there are other ways that sometimes God tells us his will. I think he sometimes shows us his will for us through godly counsel. I think he sometimes shows us his will for us through the personal desires that he gives to us. I think he sometimes shows us his will through the circumstances that he puts us in. And I think if we took the time I could show you from scripture where he uses all of those things to show us his will sometimes. But notice I said I could show you from scripture. How he uses those things because all of those things are at best secondary ways that he shows us his will. Ultimately it's through his word through the truths in scripture that he shows us his will for our lives. And should he be speaking to us through other people and through other means we have an obligation to gauge our desires and to gauge the advice that we receive and gauge the circumstances that we're in. by Scripture, the only infallible rule of faith and practice that we have. And so this morning, what I want us to do is think together about how we can discern God's will from Scripture. And I'm going to attempt to answer two questions about the role Scripture plays in helping us to discern God's will. And these two questions, I think, arise from our text this morning. And so this is the first question. Why is Scripture authoritative? Why is scripture authoritative? It's a bigger question than simply related to God's will. But I do think if we're going to talk about knowing God's will through knowing scripture, we need to know why scripture. Right. Why scripture and not something else. And so working backwards, let's think about what it means in verse 16 at the very beginning there. All scripture is breathed out by God. Now in a room of 120 or 30 some odd people, I know that not all of you are reading from the same translation that I'm reading from. Many of you are perhaps reading from the King James Version or the New King James Version, which probably says something like, all scripture is inspired by God, or all scripture is given by inspiration of God. And that's not a bad translation. But it's not the best translation. I think the English Standard Version that I'm preaching from or the New International Version gets closer to what it means in the Greek. It's not merely saying that scripture is inspired. The literal meaning of the word here is God breathed or breathed out by God. All scripture is inspired but it is inspired because it is God breathed because it is breathed out by God. And I don't think this should be that unusual if we know our scriptures to think about the Bible in this way. Think with me for just a minute about the different ways that the Bible talks about the power of God's breath. In Genesis chapter one, God speaks the world into existence. He just speaks and it happens. That's a pretty powerful breath, isn't it? Psalm 33 6 tells us that God created the host of the heavens by the breath of his mouth. So not just this world that we see, but the unseen world to us created by the breath of God's mouth. In Genesis 2, verse 7, God breathes the breath of life into Adam. He gives him his natural life through his breath. Among many other passages, 2 Samuel 22, 16, Job 4, verse 9, Isaiah 11, 4, tell us that God brings judgment to his enemies. through the power of his breath. He speaks, breathes judgment upon his enemies. In Ezekiel 37, God breathes life into the valley of the dry bones when Ezekiel prophesies to those bones. And remember what happens. Those bones are raised from the dead and new flesh and covers them and they come back to life. We see that God grants spiritual life. to these dry bones through the power of his breath. And what Paul is telling us here in Second Timothy is that the same breath of God that possesses the divine authority to create life, to destroy life, to bring new life. It's this same breath. That has inspired all scripture. It's this same breath that's given us the written word of God. Scripture is authoritative because it is the very breath of God, because it is the very word of God written. And just like God's breath. God's written word always brings judgment or life depending upon how we respond to it through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why the most important thing that a pastor does every week is to stand in a pulpit and to preach God's word to God's people. This is God's God breathed word to his people. And the most important thing your pastor will do is to preach this word. And you have got to give him the time to adequately prepare to do this. It's not the only thing he does. If he doesn't share his faith, he's not worth whatever you're going to pay him. If he doesn't hold your hand and pray with you in the hospital, he's not worth whatever you're going to pay him. So I'm not saying it's the only thing he does. But the most important thing he will do is to preach and teach God's God-breathed word to you. And you need to allow him to do that. Speaking to those of you who are parents, especially those of you who are fathers, I think you bear the primary responsibility to this, though it would also apply to mothers and in some ways it would also apply to those of you who are grandparents who have children out of the house. It is your responsibility as parents and as grandparents to teach the Bible to your children and your grandchildren. It is the most important thing you do. It is more important than being their friend. It is more important than being their chauffeur. It is more important than cooking food. It is more important than making sure they have name brand clothes. It is more important than making sure they are socially adjusted. It is more important than making education decisions. It is more important than all of these things and it affects all of these things. Your primary responsibility as a parent is to teach your children God's word. It is God's God breathed written word for you and it is God's word for them. So we see that scripture is breathed by God. But look also, he doesn't just say that scripture is breathed by God. He says specifically that all scripture is breathed out by God. In the original context of this letter, the all scripture that Paul is referring to is the Old Testament. And we know that because the New Testament wasn't finished being written and it wasn't available everywhere yet. That's not going to happen for another two or three decades after the time period that this book is most likely written. So he's probably thinking about the Old Testament. He's telling us that all of the Old Testament is inspired because all of it is God's breath. It's God's word. But we need to remember that we know that Paul himself is also writing scripture, right? Maybe the people who were reading it at the time didn't know that, but we know that. We know that because Peter tells us this in 2 Peter 3, verses 15 and 16. You don't have to turn there, but I want you to listen to what Peter says. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand. Aren't you glad that even Peter thought it was hard to understand sometimes? which the untaught and unstable distort as they do also the rest of the scriptures to their own destruction. Peter says what Paul is writing to you is part of the scriptures. It's sometimes hard to understand and is distorted by false teachers, just like all the other scriptures are. So we know from the Bible that Paul himself is writing scripture. What he's saying here applies to what he's writing to us. What he's writing is breathed out by God. The early church agreed with Peter. They came to believe that Peter himself, that his writings were also inspired, as well as the four Gospels and a handful of other books that we call our New Testament. They decided that all of these books were clearly breathed out by God because they were telling the same story that the Old Testament was telling. And in fact, they were completing and fulfilling the story that was given to us in the Old Testament. They saw in Peter, and James, and Paul, and Matthew, and Mark, and Luke, and John, and Revelation, they saw the same God-breathedness in these books that they saw in the Old Testament Scriptures. And they recognize that these two were scripture. And so because of this, I think we are not only justified in doing so, I think we are commanded to treat all of scripture as being God breathed, not just what Paul in this immediate context had in his mind, but everything that we've come to recognize as scripture. All 66 of these disparate and different books are really different parts of the same story. Together they tell us the story of stories, and every bit of it is inspired, because every bit of it has been breathed out by God as He has worked through men He's called to pen these words. Yes, they're human words. Yes, we see the personalities and the tendencies of the different writers. But it is God's word. Ultimately, the capital a author of scripture is God himself. As he has through his breath inspired these men's to write for us exactly what he wanted to be written for us. And so that's our first question. That's the answer to our first question. Why is scripture authoritative? Why scripture? Because it has been breathed out by God. The second question that we see this morning is what is the purpose of scripture? I think that's the second question worth asking. It arises from this text. What's the purpose of the scripture? And it tells us, look again with you with me, if you will, at verse 15. And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. We see in verse 15 that one purpose of scripture. is to bring us to the point of salvation, to make us wise unto salvation. And scripture is able to make us wise unto salvation because it is a reliable source of information for what it means to be saved. What must I do to be saved? The scriptures tell us what I must do to be saved. In fact, none of us would know how to be saved. None of us would be entirely sure that we even needed to be saved were it not for scripture. How many people in this world are going about their lives blissfully unaware of the coming judgment because of sin? They don't know the scriptures. Because of these scriptures, we know that we are sinners in need of a savior, and we know the lengths that God has gone to reconcile lost sinners unto himself through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that God has created all things and that all people are created in his image and that everything was originally perfect. Scripture tells us that because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, all people are now sinners who are in rebellion against the God who created them. And every one of us deserves eternal death. Scripture tells us that the son of God was born a real man named Jesus of Nazareth, who was perfectly righteous. He never sinned, not even one time, completely keeping all of God's commands on humanity's behalf. Something we could not do because of our sin, but he was able to do it. Scripture tells us that Jesus also died a criminal's death on a cross, paying the penalty for human sin and taking upon himself the wrath of God that is justly due to each and every one of us because of our sin. But Scripture also tells us that Jesus did not remain dead. We talked about this last week. He rose from the dead on the third day. He ascended into heaven and he is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father, interceding for all those who believe. Scripture tells us that all people who repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will have his perfect righteousness credited to us. That our sins are forgiven and we will be granted eternal life with the God who created us. And scripture tells us that one day Jesus Christ will return to judge all people. that he will restore this world to its original perfection and that all of those who have been saved from their sins will live with him in this new world for all of eternity. Friend, this is just a summary of what it means to be a Christian. But we know these things from God's word, don't we? They're not intuitive. We know them because God has breathed out his word and provided these things for us. Look again with me, if you will, at verses 16 and 17. All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training and righteousness. that the man of God may be competent equipped for every good work. We see in these verses that another purpose of scripture is to instruct us once we are saved and only tells us how we can be wise unto salvation. It tells us how we ought to live once we have come to salvation. According to Paul the Bible is profitable. It's useful. It's practical in at least four different areas. The Bible is profitable for teaching or doctrine. Everything that we need to believe as followers of Jesus Christ is found in the scriptures. On the flip side, those doctrines and teachings that we do not find in the Bible are false doctrines and they should be rejected by Christians, no matter how popular they may be with some followers of Jesus Christ. If we don't find them in scripture, they are not true doctrines. He tells us, secondly, the Bible is profitable for repute reproof or rebuking. The Bible acts like a mirror for our souls, convicting us when our beliefs or our practices are incorrect. Or to use another analogy, the Bible is like a spiritual flashlight that God uses to illumine the dark spots in your life. That's one of the ways he uses scripture. The Bible, thirdly, is profitable for correction. The Bible not only points out the bad, but it reminds us of the good alternatives, doesn't it? He never leaves us with bad news, does he? He always gives us good news, though it is much more than this. And we need to be careful that this is not the only thing we say about the Bible. It is true that the Bible is the one and only moral compass that we need to navigate life's waters. Now, if that's all we say, we're going to turn into legalists. But that is true, that the Bible is the only moral guide we need in this fallen world. The Bible is profitable, finally, for training in righteousness. All of these things, doctrine, reproof, correction, all of these things are unto the end of teaching us to be more righteous, teaching us to be more godly, teaching us to become more like the Christ who has purchased us with his perfect life and his atoning death. Say it another way. A major purpose for the Bible is to show us how we can look more like Jesus Christ in this life in anticipation of that day when we will be totally transformed into his likeness in the life that is to come. And I think that this is also addressed in verse 17 that the man or I think it would be appropriate for us to apply this to women as well that the man or woman of God may be competent or thoroughly equipped able to perform every good work. This is why we have this God breathed scripture. This is why it's authoritative. This is why it's trustworthy that we might be equipped and competent to do these things that he's laid out for us here. And so what I want us to do for the remainder of our time today, having spent some time sort of diving into these questions and thinking about what it means that God's word is authoritative and and why we can trust it and why it's used and how it's used. I want us to spend a good deal of time this morning thinking about ways that we can apply this passage much more than I would normally do this, because I think this is something you need to hear right now with where your church is. The good news is Paul gives us, I think, a pretty clear basis for practical application in verses 14 and 15. Let's look at those again. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you have learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. In verse 14, Paul tells us to continue in what we've learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom we have learned it. Now, Timothy and the original readers of this letter would have understood this verse to mean that they were to continue in what they had learned and believed through Paul's teaching when he had been there with them. I mean, this is a personal letter. And so the immediate thought is, remember what you've learned from Paul. But remember, we've already talked about how God has providentially included Paul's teaching in the all of Scripture that God breathed, right? And so what applied for Timothy with Paul's teaching, I think, applies for us as well with Paul's teaching and for every teaching that we would call scripture. I think there's a wider application here. I think it's reasonable for us to take this principle and apply it to all of scripture. Paul himself is the one who's teaching us. that all of Scripture is God-breathed, and all of Scripture is authoritative, and all of Scripture is useful. And I think that he would approve of our further applying this than was immediately clear to Timothy based upon what he says in verse 15. He says that Timothy's been acquainted with the sacred writings, the Scripture, since childhood. And so we have become acquainted with these same scriptures and more than Timothy was acquainted with. And so we have an obligation to base what we do. off of the acquaintance that we have from all of these books that we call scripture that we believe are God breathed and are authoritative and are useful. So let's think about what it means to continue in the scriptures as we seek to discern God's will. Some of you here this morning may be wrestling with very specific decisions. Do I need to find a new job? Do we need to sell our house and move? Do we need to make a major purchase? Do I need to ask that person out who I'm attracted to? Do I need to become engaged with the person who I'm currently dating or courting? There's a myriad of questions we may be asking, but many of you right now are asking questions about specific decisions. And the first thing I would say to you is search the scriptures so that you can better know God's character, his commands and his priorities. Because the more you know his character and commands and priorities, the better able you're going to be able to answer some of those questions about what his will is for your life. You may be surprised how much asking these types of questions will revolutionize your decision making. Knowing God through scripture will help you to know God's will when you have a tough decision to make. Let me give you a handful of examples. Based upon the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, I can say with total confidence, 100% confidence, that it is not God's will for you to cheat or lie or compromise your personal witness in any effort to be more successful in your current job or to get a new job, even if that would help your family financially. I can say with total confidence that to compromise your integrity for the sake of your job, even while you're thinking about your family, is not something you should do. And I can say that based upon the clear commands of scripture, the type of people we should be. We should be truth telling, trustworthy people. Let me give you another example. Based upon Second Corinthians 614, I can say with total confidence that it is not God's will for any of you who are single to marry an unbeliever, no matter how nice that person may be, no matter what romantic feelings you may have for them, no matter how much a person of basic integrity they may be. I can say with absolute confidence you will be sinning against God if you say I do with an unbeliever. Maybe a third example. Based upon the Great Commission in Matthew 28, 19 and 20 and many other passages, I can say with total confidence that it is God's will for you to share your faith with other people around you, even if it petrifies you with fear. And you know what? It petrifies me with fear sometimes. But even if it petrifies you with fear, I can say with absolute confidence that if there are opportunities around you to share your faith and you are not taking advantage of them, you are sinning against God based upon the clear commands of scripture that we're to share our faith with other people. These are just a few examples, but I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, what about those decisions when it's not about choosing something sinful versus something that's not sinful? What about those decisions when it's about choosing the good versus choosing the better or choosing the best? What do we do when there are no options that are sinful, but we want to do the thing that we know would most glorify God and we're having trouble figuring that out? I think this is where the Holy Spirit comes in. The great Reformation pastor and theologian John Calvin is very famous for arguing that the spirit always works in tandem with the word of God. The spirit's not out there going rogue. The word of God is not just a book. The same spirit that inspired the book guides us as we read the book. And I think we see this borne out in Scripture. Remember the Ezekiel 37 reference earlier to the Valley of the Dry Bones? Ezekiel prophesied God's words to the dry bones and God's breath, his spirit, brings new life to those bones. Or what about in the New Testament with John chapter three, Nicodemus asks Jesus how a man can be born again. And Jesus says it happens through the water and the spirit. Who, like the wind, blows where he pleases, and though we do not see him, we know he's there because we see the results of his actions. I think we also know this from personal experience. How many times have you heard the word preach or taught or you've studied the scriptures on your own and the Lord brought to your mind some sin of commission or omission that you had never really thought about before? You were just going about your life doing something, not knowing it was wrong or not doing something that you should have been doing, but you didn't know that. And you're reading scripture and it's like, wham, the light bulb goes off. I shouldn't be doing this. Or I should change how I do this or I should do this new thing. I think it's happened to all of us at one time or another. If you're a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and he will help you know how to apply God's words to difficult decisions so that you can know God's will for your life. He will help you to do this. Have you asked the Holy Spirit? Show me the difference between the good and the best. Or show me the least painful of a number of painful options I'm going to have to weigh. Have you asked him to guide you through the word? Or do you think you're smart enough to figure it out yourself? And if you are, let me know how that's working out for you. When we're facing thorny decisions that are not directly addressed by scripture, Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the wisdom to apply God's word to your situation so that you can know God's will for that situation. Now, I think this doesn't just apply to individuals. I think this also applies to churches. Would it be fair for me to guess that right now you have a pretty important decision coming up in the life of your church? Hopefully sooner rather than later, right? I think that you should think about this as you currently seek your next pastor. What does scripture say about the character and priorities of a godly pastor. The last two weeks that I've been here, Brian Davis has read from scripture various qualifications or expectations of pastor. And if I'm hearing you correctly, you are doing that every week. You're going through these different passages that talk about the qualifications or expectations of a pastor. What do these passages say? What do 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus say? What does 1st Peter 5 say? What does Acts chapter 20 say? How can the word of God inform your decision as you look for a new pastor? What does the scripture teach about sound doctrine? What does the scripture teach about sound practice? What does the scripture teach about healthy churches? How should we apply these things? Friends, don't look for a smart guy who seems to love Jesus and you think knows more about the Bible than you do. There are lots of smart guys who appear to love Jesus, who know a lot about the Bible. Look at these passages. Does the man match this? Does he have a good reputation with believers and unbelievers? Is he able to teach? Is he a man of fundamental integrity? Is his marriage a marriage that you wish your marriage looked like? How does he relate to his wife and his children? Does he understand what scriptures say and is he able to apply that to the lives of different people in different age groups and different categories? Is he someone who's a recent convert or totally lacking in experience? These things are clearly addressed by scripture. Look at scripture. Look at the man and pray, Holy Spirit, give us wisdom. Because you know what? I've been around the block a little. I'm not that old, but I've been around the block with things like this. And I can tell you that your search committee, when they look at all those resumes, there's going to be 15 good resumes. So there's going to be a decision to make. Who's the good versus who's the best? And then you're going to have a decision to make. Number one, do we trust our search committee? And I hope you do, because I think you can. And number two, does this guy who we've now spent a weekend with and we've heard him preach once or twice and he shared his testimony and this and that, does he sound like these passages? And if he sounds like those passages, and if you trust the people who you've set apart to do this work, and I think you should, Then I think with confidence you can say, Lord, I vote yes. This is the man who we need leading us. This is what we want our church to look like. What we see engendered and embodied in this individual. I want to share with you in closing. A short list of some diagnostic questions that I think you can ask yourself to help you discern God's will when you're making difficult decisions. Now I'll go ahead and admit point blank that this is not original to me. I'm a big believer in when someone has said something useful steal it and give them credit. And so I've adopted these six questions from Sinclair Ferguson, who's a South Carolina pastor. And it's from an article titled Discovering God's Will. And I would be happy to leave the information with some of the deacons so that you can find the full article yourself. But let me tell you how I have adapted his six questions. And I'll give you a second to jot this down if you want to. Question number one. Will this decision violate the commands of God recorded in Scripture? Will this decision violate the commands of God recorded in Scripture? Question number two. Will this decision benefit my own spiritual growth and the growth of those for whom I am responsible? Number two, will this decision benefit my own spiritual growth and the growth of those for whom I am responsible? When's the last time you asked that before a shopping trip? Question question number three will this decision enslave me in any way? So that I am no longer free to follow God's will and other areas of my life Will this decision enslave me in any way so that I am not free to follow God's will and other areas of my life Question number four Will this decision magnify that Christ is my Lord or will it distract from the Lordship of Christ in my life? Will this decision magnify that Christ is my Lord or will it distract from the Lordship of Christ in my life? Question number five. Will this decision be helpful to other people? Or will it harm others in some way? Will this decision be helpful to other people or will it harm others in some way? Don't you wish everybody would ask that question before they made decisions? Does this just help me or does it help others as well? Question number six. Will this decision be in keeping with the examples of godly living that we find in Scripture and especially in Christ? Will this decision be in keeping with the examples of godly living that we find in scripture and especially in Christ? Again, I have that here and I'll make sure that it's available so that you can get it down exactly later and you can see where I got it from so you can read the whole article. I think these are helpful questions. I think that the questions that we ought to ask as individuals, I think that the questions that we ought to ask as families before we make family decisions, and I hope that you do have some decisions that you make as a family, especially as your children get a little bit older. I think there's great wisdom in having family decisions that are guided by the parents, but allowing those children to become a part of the decision-making process, teaching them how to make wise decisions. And I hope that you'll apply these same types of questions to what you're doing as a local church as you seek the next man to lead you. Brothers and sisters, I can promise you this. The more you know the word, the more you will able you will be able to make godly decisions. And I'll even go a step further. The more you know the word and the more you are in submission to the word, the more likely it is that the Lord is going to lead someone here to be your pastor. whom five or six years from now, you'll look back and say late 2009, early 2010, it was worth everything to be at the center of God's will now doing all that he would have us do for the glory of God and for the salvation of Charlottesville. We close in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this congregation, and I thank you, Lord, for the ways that even in the short time I've been with them, that you've knit my heart to them, Lord, and given me a burden for them. I thank you for growing friendships in this congregation, and I thank you for the way it is evident to me and some of my friends who have been here, the way your Holy Spirit is working among these people. And Father, I pray that you would give them exceedingly great wisdom in the coming days as they make a decision as to who their next pastor is going to be. Lord, we know that you know who he is. And we know, Lord, that right now you are preparing him for this body. And Father, it's my prayer that you are also preparing them for him. And I pray, Lord, that it would be very clear in the next few weeks and months who that man is and that you will get all the glory, Lord, for the way that you work through this new partnership in the coming years. And Father, I pray for everyone in this church, every family in this church that's facing some sort of important decision. Lord, in a group this size, someone is facing a life altering decision. And Father, I pray that you would give them great wisdom from your word to know what they need to do. I pray father that those who are choosing between sending and not sending would choose the righteous path and that you would make that clear. And Lord, for the many people who are perhaps choosing between good, better and best, I pray your Holy Spirit. would speak through your word into the hearts of these individuals and families that they might know how they can most honor you and how they can make a decision that is ultimately the best. Father, we thank you for your goodness and your grace. We thank you, Father, that when we were yet dead in our trespasses and sins, that Christ saved us. And we pray this morning, Lord, that if there is anyone here who is still dead in their trespasses and sins, that your Holy Spirit would do a work of grace this morning and draw many men and women unto yourself through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And I pray all of these things, Lord, in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen.