God's Prescribed Way - Pastor Dave Tunakitis

Glorify means 'to make God look good!' Deuteronomy 4:7

He's God and We Are Not!!  Jesus gave us His prescribed way for success in our Christian walk in John 14:6 when He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” - Mark 2

Jesus proved he had the authority to forgive sin by laying down his life and taking it up again.  He made God look good by dying on the cross to save us from our sins.  People don't like Jesus' prescribed way so they make up their own rules for getting to heaven. 'As long as my good outweighs bad...'

Examples From the Bible :

Cain & Abel:
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.  And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.  So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.  Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry?  Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. - Genesis 4:2-7

The bible doesn't tell you everything you want to know. It tells you what you need to know but not what you want to know. At this point in scripture we haven't been instructed on blood sacrifice.  Abel works with livestock, but Cain was a produce farmer, so he decides to give of his best produce. Cain thought, "What's the difference?"  We need to approach God in the prescribed way.  He is God & we are not!

Moses:
Moses had to go to God because the Israelites were grumbling again, in need of water.  Moses was not instructed to strike the rock this time - like last time.  God doesn't always do it the same way.  He always has a prescribed way.  We can't reduce God to a formula.  Every day, He has a prescribed way.

Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.  You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”  So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him.  He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff.  Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.  But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them. - Numbers 20:8-12

Moses was having a bad day.  He was frustrated with the people grumbling.  Because he did it his own way (he assumed this time was like the last time) and not the prescribed way, he dishonoured God and did not get to lead the people into the promised land.

David:
David wanted to bring the ark back to Jerusalem.  It seemed right to the people.

Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul. The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people. So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets. When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. Then David was angry because the LORD’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. - 1 Chronicles 13:3-11

David's motive was sincere towards God.  But he was not God.  He was required to honour God.  There was a prescribed way to move the ark and they did not honour that.  And so they tried again...

It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.. - 1 Chronicles 15:13-15

People today make certain assupmtions about God.  They try to say that there are many ways to get to God.  Things like, 'As long as I am a good person...' or 'I am a part of a sincere religion...' or 'I will be a giving person...'   But there is only one prescribed way to get to God and that is through Jesus.  The only reason people don't want to follow the prescribed way is because they don't want to surrender their lives to God and follow his rules, his prescribed way.

Jesus is... the prescribed way.
The cross made God look good.  God has a prescribed way of doing everything.  Each day we need to seek him for his prescribed way for everything he calls us to do.  Jesus tells us in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Paul wrote, "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also." - 1 Corinthians 6:14  He goes on to write, "Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence." - 2 Corinthians 4:14

The bible declares the prescribed way in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

You possess THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Over 150 times in Proverbs it talks about our lips, our tongue, our words.

2 Reasons Words are Important:

• Volume - we speak enough words each year to fill 66 x 500 page books!
• Value - the content of what we speak can either tear down or build up.

‘The tongue has the POWER of Life and Death’ - Proverbs 18:21 

LIFE means substance, that which strengthens and sustains. 

This verse is saying YOUR TONGUE HAS THE ABILITY TO DRAIN the Life out of someone or SUSTAIN and bring STRENGTH.

"My words can drain them or sustain them!" 

POWER means within one's ability.

PRACTICAL WAYS TO SPEAK LIFE:

1. Speak THOUGHTFULLY – THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK

‘The godly think before speaking; the wicked spout evil words’ – Prov. 15:28 

THINK means to meditate on what to answer. 

‘May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD…’ - Psalm 19: 14

• Our THINKING affects our SPEAKING
• Our SPEAKING affects our LIVING
• Our LIVING affects our DESTINY

2. Speak CAREFULLY - Watch Every Word

‘Those who control their tongue will have a long life…’ – Prov. 13: 3 

CONTROL means to guard, to keep a close watch on the effects.

3. Speak SPARINGLY – Holding our tongue

‘When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise’ – Prov. 10: 19

HOLD means restrain, keep in check, use sparingly. 

Our words are like toothpaste that's out of the tube... once they're out, it's virtually impossible to get them back in!

You cannot blame what you say on a bad day!

'Nothing I say today is going to teach me anything... so I'd better listen!' - Larry King

4. Speak ENCOURAGINGLY - Build Up, Don’t Tear Down

‘The godly speak words that are helpful…’ – Prov. 10:32

Sometimes we've got to delay what we say and find another way!

5. Speak PLEASANTLY – Words That Bless

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones - Prov. 16:24

PLEASANT means words full of grace , kindness, blessing.