Directed By: God

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends. How in the world are you? You doin’ alright today? I trust so. Bless your heart. If you struck a rough day, look up, say, “Lord Jesus, see me through this one.” And He will. He’ll see you through. He hasn’t brought you this far to dump you now. You can be sure of that.

We’re looking at John chapter 13. “Supper being ended,” this is verse 2, “the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot… ” Remember the last time we got together, I said little habitual compromises lead to conditioning your life so that Satan can get in, and small obediences to God condition your heart so that God can guide you. “Jesus,” this is verse 3, “knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and went to God, rises from supper and laid aside His garments and took a towel and girded himself. After that, He poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.” We stop and comment on some of these things as we go along. What does it say about our Lord Jesus? It said that He knew what had been given to Him. “Knowing that the Father hath given all things into His hand.” He repeated that concept later on in what we call the great commission. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations.”

He knew what had been given to Him, the authority that He had. He knew where He came from, that He was come from God. He knew where He was going, that He went to God. And He knew what His job was right then. He began to wash the disciples’ feet. Does that give you any ideas concerning the course of your own life and destiny? Start with the beginning of that third verse, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands.” Now that speaks of our Lord Jesus. But you hear Him saying to a distraught man who had brought his son and who said, “If thou canst do anything for us, have mercy on us and help us.” Jesus said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible unto him that believeth.” The all things. You go over to Philippians and find Paul saying in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” “My God shall supply all your need,” 4:19 in Philippians, “according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus.”

You find Paul talking about the all things. He says, “Whether it’s Paul or Cephas or Apollos or things present or things to come, all are yours and ye are Christ’s and Christ is God.” That’s 1 Corinthians 3:22 and 23. You turn over to Ephesians 3:20, some of you are way ahead of me, aren’t you? One of the joys of being on the radio with the word of God is that I’m talking to people who know their Bible well enough to run ahead. And when I get there, you’re laughing and say, “Ha, here I am.” [laughter] It’s great. Now you look at 3:20 of Ephesians, “Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory.” The all things starts with God. He’s able to do all things. But, the all things continues with us according to the power that worketh in us. Does that say anything to you? The Father had given all things to His hands.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be to God who always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the fragrance of His knowledge by us in every place.” Always triumph. All things are yours. All things are possible to him that believeth. “All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore.” “Lo, I am with you always.” Does it say anything to you about the extent of your authority as a believer? Now, I don’t go clear out in left field as some do on this doctrine, the “name it, claim it” school of teaching. I don’t do that. I don’t suppose most of you do. I think that borders on being presumptuous. But I have to tell you that most Christians I know, including myself, fail to achieve what is rightly our own because Jesus bought it for us. There is an awesome authority associated with being a Christian. There is an awesome authority associated with being a Christian. Jesus has all the authority. He gives it to you, who by faith trust in Him as Savior. So that when you speak, He says, “It is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father would speaketh in you.” That’s Jesus talking to His disciples.

When you work, it is the Holy Spirit working through you, “Which I do,” He says, “I labor according to His Spirit which worketh in me mightily.” The indwelling Spirit of God working through you, speaking through you. When you walk into a room full of people, God walks in your shoes. Do you know how I know? 2 Corinthians 6, “As I will dwell in them and walk in them.” This is not to say that you go round looking pious. The attempt to look pious only makes you look faintly ill, and, I may add, slightly ridiculous. Anybody who tries to look holy ends up looking ridiculous.

I have a streak of mischief in me, as you know. Sometimes when I would meet the students, and in going down the long hallway there in the main building at the college, I think it’s 780 feet long, that’s pretty long you know that. And going down that long hallway, I would meet the students and I’d say, “Hello,” and sometimes we’d stop and chat and talk, and they’d be typically teenage, carefree, happy. And then I would say, “Well, Joe, how are you getting along with the Lord?” And immediately he would try to look religious and he’d get that funny, serious, I-am-trying-to-look-holy look, and I had all I could do sometimes to keep from bursting out laughing. Because when you try to look pious, you end up looking bilious, as though you’re gonna bring up something in the meeting. [chuckle] Oh, dear, don’t do it that way. Make sure, beloved, that your heart and life is filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Open every room of you heart house to the blessed Spirit of God so that He can come in.

Ephesians 5:18 says “Be ye being filled,” it’s a durative sense of the verb. Keep on being filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18. Open every room in your heart house by faith to the blessed Holy Spirit. Let Him fill your life so that when you walk into a room full of people, or when you engage in conversation, or when you answer the phone, or when you write a letter, or when you make a decision, it is God which worketh in you. Philippians 2:13, “God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” I often say to people, “When you walk into a room, mister, people should feel God’s presence.” That is normal Christianity. That isn’t the unusual. That is normal Christianity, Jesus knowing. Yes, you have some authority as a believer, don’t abuse it, don’t be presumptuous, but humbly obeying God, walking by faith. Know that God is walking in your shoes. It’s a great truth, isn’t it? Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God. Why does it have to say that? Because the very heart and the whole point of Calvary is lost if we don’t realize that, “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” That He was come from God, that is to say that very minute was part of God’s direct intervening purpose.

Stop here long enough to realize that the circumstances through which you go are part of God’s plan for you. That He was come from God and went back to God. You see, the divine purpose of God for the world was being worked out in that very moment. So I often say, what you are, where you are, and the circumstances in which you are, are part of God’s provision for you. Does God have a plan for every life? Of course, He does. “In all thy ways acknowledge him and He shall direct thy paths.” How can he direct you if He doesn’t have a plan? Of course, God knows what He wants for you. He said, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of good not of evil to give you a desired end.” His desire for you. So, there’s no question but that God knows what He wants for you. Therefore, you and I are well advised to realize as we live our lives day by day, that what’s going on today, although it may seem routine, is part of God’s purpose for our lives. And you and I want to learn to glorify God in everything. Paul said, “Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as for the Lord and not just for people, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Would you remember that today?

See, most days are not very heroic. The ordinary day, get up, get dressed, get breakfast, go out to work or school, or if you’re a homemaker do the three million things that you have to do around the house without ever getting thanked for them. Go on through the day, take care of routine matters, come on home, have supper, talk about what most families talk about if they have teenagers, who’s going with who and what can he see in her, [chuckle] homework, or newspaper, or television, or conversation, or go out to a church meeting or whatever may be, come on home, take two aspirins, go to bed. Ordinary, non-eventful day. Most days are not very heroic. But all those non-heroic days add up to a divine purpose for your life.

Go back to what I said a day or so ago, little compromises, habitual compromises with evil make it possible for Satan to get in for big breakdowns. And habitual obedience to God, honoring and glorifying your Father in non-heroic routine days make it possible for God to work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Form the habit of realizing that what’s happening this minute is part of God’s plan for you. Will you remember that? Form the habit of realizing that what is happening this very minute is part of God’s plan for you. You accept it. You live the best you can for the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that God is working in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Father God today, oh, may we be aware of Thy continuing will in our lives as we yield to Thee. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!