Episode Transcript
All right, if you take God's precious word and turn to Proverbs chapter 12 verse 5 Proverbs chapter 12 verse 5 the title of the message tonight is councils and contrivances Councils and contrivances Proverbs 12 verse 5 Begins like this begins telling us about the thoughts of the righteous The thoughts of the righteous now the Hebrew word that's translated thoughts here Isn't just speaking about some idea that happens to pop in someone's head or hey what you got on your mind What you thinking about it's not that it's talking about plans a well thought out Plan so we're looking at the planning of the righteous the word in the Hebrew has the idea of Threading or taking thread and then weaving that thread into fabric So it has the idea if you're instead of thread in your in your hands or on the in a loom then you think of thoughts in the mind and so you're looking at thoughts and then weaving those thoughts until it makes a product right and so Complex thoughts are woven together to form a plan that a person intends to carry out in this case is talking about the plans of the righteous people and Solomon is speaking to us tonight about those plans and the first thing we learn from him is that righteous people Should be thinking people they should be planning people If the Bible tells us about the thoughts of the righteous then it is evident that righteous people make plans They think ahead they have complex thoughts and Plans in one of the great downfalls of our modern society is that it's creating a generation of people that play instead of plan That's just what they do.
They have an insatiable appetite for entertainment video gaming and other time-consuming functions But they're losing the ability to make complex biblical plans based on real life issues that make an eternal impact on the kingdom of God I Ask someone close to me once In all sincerity I said what are some of the things that you'd like to accomplish in life before you die That person in a ridiculing tone said you think too deeply So let me tell you righteous people should be planning people They should be thinking deeply if the only plans that you make in life are to have a bucket list If the only thing that that you plan in life is to get married make money have children Maybe visit all 50 states see the Grand Canyon or tour some particular place before you die if that's all your plans consist of Then your plans are no different than any other person's plans.
They're no different than any unbelievers plans Those aren't the plans of the righteous Those are the plans of the flesh We should be thinking what can I do to further the will of God and in my life and make a difference in his kingdom We should be thinking how can I improve my church?
We should be thinking how can I help my brothers and sisters in Christ?
Last week one of our church members Sent me and Tammy a text message picture of one of the doors on the Fellowship hall over there next to my study that he had made some repairs on that door that some of the wood had gotten rotten And I didn't ask him to make the repair When it never even came up it was simply the thoughts of the righteous being carried out It's all it was we had the same thing happen out here in the parking lot with filling in some holes out there and and it greatly encourages my heart Someone came up to the other day and told me that he'd like to improve the lighting in the sanctuary To help people be able to read better in here who have trouble reading That's the thoughts of the righteous.
That's that's Righteous planning and these thoughts don't come by filling your head with foolishness They come by setting your heart on the things of God King David set his heart on the things of God He was a man who planned he had righteous plans and The Bible says in 2nd Samuel chapter 7 Verse 1 through 3 2nd Samuel 7 verse 1 through 3 it says and it came to pass when the king said in his house and The Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies That the king said unto Nathan the prophet see now or look here.
I dwell in an house of cedar We learned about cedar here recently brother shepherd in your Sunday school But the ark of God dwelleth with curtains in Nathan said to the king go do all that is in thine heart For the Lord is with thee that was in David's heart David sitting here thinking I hear him and this nice house built out of cedar and here's the Lord's house and It's a tent Maybe it's time we update maybe it's time we upgrade to a place that's permanent a nice permanent structure Because we're not supposed to be moving from here.
We shouldn't be having a tabernacle anymore and He was sitting in his house thinking on this and And this is what came into his mind why because he Wanted God's will in his life and he thought here.
I am in the position of a king or the position that I'm in How can I further the will of God and he thought this would be a thing that God would want me to do?
Here's a kingdom truth for you tonight When you set your heart on God God will set his heart in yours When you set your heart on God God will set his heart in yours He will let his thoughts become your thoughts He'll put on your heart What's on his heart and then when you pray?
And when that gets on your heart and you pray all you're doing is closing the circuit with God it initiated with God It came to you you then send that back to God and it closes the circuit and God answers the prayer that he began with in your heart But when you set your heart on God God will set his heart in yours the Bible says the thoughts or the righteous Look back in your text are right are right and And we're not talking about right in the sense of right versus wrong Or like well, that's the correct answer and that's not But it's right in the sense that this Hebrew word means a verdict It means a judgment something judicially legally propounded Now the judgments of a righteous person If you could think of it this way The the the plans of a righteous person are based on God's judgments So the the the planning of the righteous if we're going to get literal here is judgment The planning of the righteous is judgment now in Exodus chapter 21 verse 1 God refers to The commandments that he gave to Israel This is right after the 10 commandments were given in chapter Exodus chapter 20 in Exodus chapter 21 1 God says now these are the judgments Which thou shall set before them he goes on to give laws that were based on the law that he just gave Hey, God calls them judgments It's the same word here So the planning of a righteous person is God's judgment We plan based on God's Word a righteous person plans According to God's judgment.
Here's the kingdom truth for you tonight if your thoughts Are it according to God's judgments?
Then they're not according to God's plans if your thoughts Are not according to God's judgments Then they're not according to God's plans what you're planning if it's not according to what God has said It's not in God's plans your plans are not God's plans.
Don't try to project Your thinking on God because it doesn't work that way This week I was talking to a Christian man and He was a professed Christian man and he was telling me very sincerely about His daughter meeting a man who was married and He said yeah, you know He was married and you know, he and his wife they didn't get along real well and But he was determined that he was not going to divorce because he believed, you know, that's wrong It's not what God wants me to do.
He wants me to stay with my wife He said but then he met my daughter He thought you know he said I believe this is God blessing me here and Giving me someone more compatible to me.
So he said so he went ahead and divorced his wife and married my daughter I'm thinking well, you're not gonna get an amen for me out of that But but in that man's mind This had to have been of God Look how convenient he was He wasn't happy with his wife.
This woman comes along.
Apparently he flirts with her.
She pays him attention He thinks well look the Lord the Lord brought me Man, I tell you what we've been through the Proverbs enough about the strange woman Enticing the men God doesn't bring strange women to you The devil does Don't blame The devil's work on God and don't blame your plans that are against God's Word on God who condemns your plans Those were his thoughts those were his plans But they were not according to God's judgment.
So had no it was nothing to do with the plan of God In fact, he had to break God's judgments in order to make his plans How about that?
If you have to break God's judgment to make your plans, then your plans are not right the thoughts of the righteous are right a righteous person doesn't think pragmatically a Righteous person thinks righteously and there's a difference You see a prayer.
What's the difference a pragmatic person?
Wants to do what it takes What does it take to get this done?
What does it take to make me happy a?
Pragmatic person does what it takes a righteous person wants to do the will of God a Righteous person would rather fail in their plans Then fell in their obedience to God why because ultimately their plan is to obey God's will If God wants you to have another spouse His plan is not going to violate his judgments in order to give you one Remember when I told you that the word thoughts Had the idea of weaving thread to make fabric Well not Not long ago we had 50,000 tracks printed for the Philippines You see righteous plans are made by weaving God's commandments not by unraveling them They're made by weaving God's commandments not by unraveling We had 50,000 tracks printed for the Philippines and suppose somebody wanted to donate money because we had people donate money for that suppose someone want to donate money to help send those tracks to the Philippines and They Really caring for the Philippine people they thought you know I'm in a position here at work where I could embezzle several thousand dollars and Then I'll take that money and I'll donate it To further the gospel than the Philippines is it right to plan to share the gospel of course it is Is it right to plan to steal so you can share the gospel of course is not Not at all here's a kingdom of truth for you tonight It is never right To do wrong in order to do right It is never right to do wrong in Order to do right what did that man have to do?
to to marry that woman He had to do wrong And when he married her that wasn't even right now, it's right for a man to have a wife It's not good that a man should be alone So he's right for having a wife But he went about having a wife the wrong way Brother Barker we are in the I'm in the middle of preaching a wonderful sermon tonight in Proverbs chapter 12 you were in the Philippines, and you didn't know what time it was on a Wednesday night No, that's okay.
That's okay.
I answered it, and I have you up to my microphone right now My whole congregation is listening to me.
What do you want to share?
Okay, brother.
I want to share with you.
I'm here in the Philippines.
Can you see me?
No, sir.
I cannot see you I can only hear you I am here with Commander spider he is a Muslim and He thanks you for the banners of blessings that you sent will be very effective and God is blessing here.
I want your church to pray earnestly right now for the Pajal and Bible They only have very few for praying that they can be printed here in either in the Philippines or printed back in the US and so Ask your church to pray for these vitals because my heart is broken brother Well brother we're gonna when I hang up, and I get through the message.
We're going to pray for that and If we can help Finance some of the printing we would love to do that as well And you tell that man we're praying for him and we love him and that God loves him and that He sent his son for him and we'll be praying for him Amen No, that's a wonderful interruption.
God bless you all right dear brother.
Yes, sir.
Goodbye Man God so good We just prayed for him God's so good.
I wanted y'all and I saw who it was.
I knew what he was going to he up.
He's been update me Everybody every other day or so while he's in the Philippines, and I thought I want them to be able to hear what I hear And experience what I experience Father Lord instead of waiting till the sermons over we just come to you tonight And Lord I think first of all dear Lord God of people who Don't come to church and who miss out father God on such wonderful blessings And father I pray for brother Barker.
I pray for this Muslim man I Pray father God or former Muslim.
I'm not sure of the context of what brother Barker said But I know he's thanking us for the banners And I pray Lord God we don't put any stock in the banners Or in the pictures Or in the arrangement of the words of men But father God we put all our hope and weight on the gospel That it conveys And we pray that many souls will come to faith in Christ abandon their hope in the religions of men and Put their faith and hope in the Son of man who you sent to die for them.
I Pray for these Bibles to be printed.
I thank you for putting your heart on brother Barker's heart another fine example of the the planning of the righteous and Like King David you put on his heart father what to do and here he's burdened father not because it's his burden originally It's your burden that you handed down to him and now have shared with us And I pray Lord will be able to help many of these Bibles be printed up for these people So they can see for themselves What your word says and see that the Quran is false But the gospel is true We ask this in Jesus wonderful name.
You'll bless the remainder of this sermon Amen So it's never right to do wrong in order to do right you can't accomplish God's will by breaking God's Word Righteous thoughts are woven with righteousness the thoughts of the righteous are right look back in your text now But the councils of the wicked now, we're looking at not of the planning of the righteous, but the councils of the wicked Now the word councils here.
It's fascinating word in the Hebrew.
It literally means to steer and and We brother James James Morrhea we love you brother Morrhea.
He just wrote on here an amazing interruption That's that's a heavenly interruption dear brother isn't it how wonderful God is yes an amazing interruption praise God But Here the steering and we use this in our local vernacular I Don't know if the Marithes would use something like this back from Kenya where they came from But I bet maybe you've heard it since you've been to you in the US Someone will give someone advice and they'll say hey, I'll never steer you wrong That's the idea with the councils of the wicked here is the direction they're steering someone Are you steering them in the right direction?
So it's speaking of that advice that a wicked person is giving here and They're giving advice steering people contrary to God's Word Good counsel is always biblical counsel you ever want a good counselor You better find one who knows the Bible There is no good counsel apart from God's Word.
I Don't care how many degrees a person has if it's not biblical.
It's not good wicked people love to give advice They'll they'll they'll be the first to volunteer to give you advice They'll promote themselves as wise counselors But you better beware who you take counsel from the fact that the Bible is speaking to us tonight about the the Councils the steering of the wicked shows us that wicked people like to steer They'll steer you in the wrong direction commercials are made to steer people in a certain direction, aren't they?
We were looking at an old 1970s dr.
Pepper commercial early today.
I'm a pepper.
You're a pepper wouldn't you like to be a pepper - Boy, I'm telling you good Good advice, you know always steering you in the right direction.
They want you to be a pepper because it's good for you No, that's not why The news media the entertainment industry the social influencers I can't believe we even have such a thing now, but we do social influencers exist to steer people in a certain direction The problem is their councils oftentimes look back in your text as we end our deceit their deceit and That means they're not steering you in the direction of your best interest They're steering you in the direction of their best interest The story of Jacob and Esau is a good example of deceitful counsel Oh Jacob man, he goes in there and he's trying to make sure that his daddy gives him the blessing Trying to convince them that he's the Sun he's worthy the blessing it's time to bless me here's my here's my venison I killed for you all this good stuff and Jacob talked his father into giving him that birthright, but his counsel was deceit And after it was all said and done Isaac was trying to explain To Esau that he had been steered in the wrong direction.
Listen this speaking to Esau in Genesis 27 35 He said thy brother came with subtlety and hath taken away thy blessing Now that word subtlety is the same word translated deceit here in our text tonight he came with deceit He steered me the wrong direction He took your blessing Jacob Didn't care about his brother or his father all Jacob cared about was Jacob And the wicked will counsel you they'll appear to care for you and all they care about is themselves They'll use you when Planned Parenthood tells you that it's it's okay to abort your baby So that your mental health Will be okay Man, how who wants to live with the fact they murdered their baby on their conscience the rest of their life That's that's a mental health crisis But but for the sake of your mental health or or because you need to Be able to go to school to finish your college degree and this baby is gonna get in the way Man you don't want to do that And and it can relieve stress in life if you were to abort your baby These people don't care about your mental health.
They don't care about your college degree All they care about is aligning their own filthy pockets its counsel that is deceit When the government tries to steer you toward electric vehicles and listen, I'm not getting in on the climate crisis I don't really have a dog in that fight But I am telling you this When they're trying to steer you a certain direction and all that money's been shipped to China to buy those batteries And then that money from China is going to their endowment is going to their charitable Organization and propping them up man.
They don't care about the climate Because they're pumping money into the nation that's polluting the climate to make your stinking batteries.
I Wouldn't mind having a Ford Lightning pickup.
I wouldn't mind that a bit, but I am saying this The councils of the wicked are deceit They'll get up and lie to your face and and and and and all they're trying to do is funnel money and sometimes It seems like the whole world is a big scam.
I feel that way a lot of times It started off with a scam in the Garden of Eden Devil was just trying to help Eve Why?
No, you don't know you got it wrong.
You see He knows the day you eat that you'll be as God's Why this is good for man, this is we're trying to help you out here It was his counsel was to see it was wicked counsel.
It was deceit.
It was not to help Eve It was to try to help himself Try to get him ahead in this world No matter who he took down with him no matter the cost and that's how the wicked are They don't care about the cost as long as it doesn't cost them Let me tell you there's one place you'll never be misled There's one place you can go to time and time and time again.
You'll never be misled You'll always be steered in the right direction and you can know that you're receiving counsel That is in your best interest Because God loves you in that place is the Bible he's given us The thoughts of the righteous are right.
They're God's judgments good counsel and good plans are Based on God's good will for you, which he has lovingly provided us in his word well that will go in close tonight with word of prayer and Lord willing take back up next Wednesday father.
We thank you for an amazing time in worship tonight In prayer tonight Communion father with your spirit with your our fellow believers Communion in your word being fed your grace from heaven Thank you father for those who were here Physically, thank you father for those who are here spiritually Who are attending like the Marithis father in Austin?
who are Watching father from Bowie and from Illinois and from wherever else they may be watching Lord we know you love each and every one of them Thank you for caring father to feed your precious sheep Thank you for giving us your word Thank you for our church.
We love you.
We give you thanks for all you've done And we pray father that we will seek your face with our whole hearts in Jesus precious name amen
