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Alright, I got a little housekeeping we got to do. You got your sheet. Make sure you got a sheet. Everybody got one? Sort of wave at me. Make sure you got that. We've got uh summer schedule beginning. Can you believe it's summer already? It's incredible. Almost half the year's gone. So here's the want to make sure you get this schedule. We put it on here so you'll see it. This will be basically our last luncheon for about four weeks or so. Because you'll see after we come back from Memorial Day, we've got VBS prep, and we shut everything down, and man, we turned the campus into a big old thing. So it's really fun. And then we have VBS, and then we have World Changers, which is an incredible experience. If you're not familiar with that, it's a missions organization for students, and so high school students and they sign up from all over. I mean, I think last year we had kids from Montana and all kinds of places, and they come here on a mission trip to Fort Smith and they are all over the city doing projects, uh fixing things for elderly and all kinds of stuff. And uh and all of that then is also inviting them to First Baptists and sharing the gospel with them. And so it's an incredible thing. But they live here, they eat here, it's all man, they take they take it over. So we're so we're working through that, and then after the week of world changers, we'll come back. Now, what that does is that gives you plenty of time to make up your list on who you're gonna start working on to invite them when we come back. All right, is that good? So be working on your list, yes, sir.

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This is the last Tuesday of this month.

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Yes. Yes, and so we're but again, we're not stopping. You guys have a hiatus to go find a bunch of people to bring back on that uh on that Tuesday back. But there's just really not with with all the kitchen engaged in all of this. Um it's just too, it's just kind of too much, and we just kind of take over the campus in these events. But these are great events, and so we're excited about them. We love them, we're thrilled with them. This is for you, those of you who come on Thursdays for 60 plus. This is also the same calendar as 60 plus, so we're matching those two things, so we're all on the same deal. And then I expect you all back that that first Tuesday back, and I expect everybody to have somebody with them in tow. Is that fair? Is that good? All right, if you bring somebody that first that first Tuesday back, I'll buy their lunch. Is that good? So you don't even have to buy their lunch, you can buy it the second week and we can get them in a rhythm of coming. Is that good? Is that fair? All right. The other thing is I kind of got you a little bit bigger lesson. There's at least three sermons in today, so I'm not gonna take that long, but uh, in your notes, I'll point out there's at least three sermons in this. So I've got you covered for most of that month on Tuesday. Sound good? All right, let's pray. Lord, thank you for today. Uh we want to pray for these events that are upcoming. These are highly strategic gospel mission-oriented things that we do as a church. And so we thank you for those. And I pray, Father, as we come together, all of us today, uh, we pray that you'll bless, that you'll move in those, that you'll prepare hearts, that you'll open doors for the gospel. We pray that we'll see people saved. We pray that kids' lives will be changed as they're serving in world changers and as our students come and help and serve in our VBS. And Father, we pray that uh there'll be students' lives who are impacted because they're serving and they're uh walking in those shoes of sharing the gospel and serving Jesus. And so there's so many layers to ministry that and mission that go on during these upcoming weeks. Father, we pray that you will place your hand on them and bless them and use them mightily. And I do pray for our men. We take this little break, but I pray, Father, that during the course of this time, uh, you'll help lay on everybody's heart somebody they can bring with them. And during this little time, it'll be a time for us together. And when we come back in June, we'll push forward with even more momentum and all of that. So I do want to pray for the men during that time off. I pray you'll bless them and use them and keep them, and then I pray you'll bring us safely back together after these missions events as we restart and begin again for the summer. We pray for the folks that have prepared lunch for us today. We thank you so much for them, all that they do for us to make this a special time to be together. I pray your blessings on them. Now we ask that you be our teacher from your word. We pray these things in Jesus' name, and everybody said all right. So, this was in our reading about two weeks ago, but this is one of my favorite stories. Again, last week I shared with you one of my favorite stories, and this one I've saved for today to give you that little extra as we talked about it, so you'd have some stuff to take with you. But this is really a fascinating story tucked in here in the life of David, and there's some great lessons for us to learn. And so, what I've entitled today's lesson is How to Confirm God's Direction. And this story is so important. It is told in 2 Samuel, it's also told in 1 Chronicles 17, and a lot of times that happens, but there's variations or a short version in one of the books and a longer in the other one. This one is told in the same detail, almost verbatim in both books. And so I may wander around trying to figure out what to say next or lose my place, and I may repeat things because I'm just Greg. God doesn't repeat things unless he does it on purpose and means it. And so if he's going to repeat this almost verbatim, that means it's a great story for us to pay attention to, and there are life lessons for us to learn from this. So you have your sheets there, and let's look at uh 2 Samuel chapter 7, uh, beginning in verse 1. Uh, when the king had settled into his palace, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies. Now that's a great setting, and it's also a blessing to think about, you know, where David is and how his heart is for the Lord. When he's got this moment, instead of like last week we looked at, where he sort of put everything in neutral and was tempted and fell with Bathsheba and all that. This time he doesn't do that. This time he reaches this point and his mind and his heart turns to the Lord instead of going into neutral like he did when he got in trouble with Bathsheba. So the Bible says the king says to Nathan the prophet, in fact, it's different. This time he's hanging out with his pastor verses before last week when he just sends everybody off to war, you know, and stays by himself. This time he's hanging with his pastor, Nathan the prophet. And he says, Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside tent curtains. In other words, they're still using the tabernacle at this point, right? It's still that tent, the tabernacle. So Nathan told the king, Go and do all that is on your heart, for the Lord is with you. In other words, his pastor thinks, Man, I appreciate your heart. You're more concerned about the Lord than you are about yourself. And so he just blesses him. That's what we try to do is encourage people when they're growing in the Lord, and we just want to encourage them. So then he says in verse 4, But the word of the Lord came to Nathan. Now, this is really interesting. David is the one launching out on a deal, but God comes to Nathan instead of David. He says, Go to my servant David and say, This is what the Lord says. Are you to build a house for me to live in? From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until today, I have not lived in a house. Instead, I have been moving around with a tent as my dwelling. In other words, that's the way God designed it. He told them in great detail how to build the tabernacle. In all my journeys with the Israelites, have I ever asked anyone among the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, why haven't you built me a house of cedar? In other words, God says, I've never raised this question with y'all. Verse 8. Now, this is what you are to say to my servant David. This is what the Lord of hosts says. I took you from the pasture and from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest in the land. So he's going to affirm a promise to David. I will establish a place for my people Israel and plant them so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Now, just as a thought, since we're here, this is yet another promise that God has given to the people of Israel. Not the Israeli government currently in power, but to the Israeli people of a promise that He has planted them there eternally. This is yet another affirmation of the type of covenant that He's given to them. I will establish a place for my people Israel and plant them so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not inflict them as they have done. I'll ever ever since the day I ordered judges to be over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord declares to you, the Lord will make a house for you. He goes on to promise him that David's children, his offspring, that one of his sons will be the one to build the temple, the permanent house for God. So it's just a fascinating story here how this unfolds. So let me give you a couple of truths, and in each of these truths that I give you, there's at least one sermon, and sometimes there's more than that in this. But I give you the overview to put this in your mind and heart. So here's the first overriding truth. You have to always seek God's direction for every plan. We don't launch out on our own because we think it's a good idea, and it's not a good idea just because we're in a good place with the Lord. David's heart was right, but his plan was not. Right? And so God doesn't rebuke David for this. In fact, when he speaks to Nathan, he says, go back and give him this promise of what's going to happen. So David was not launching off and doing something that was necessarily sinful or incorrect, but he was not doing the direction that God wanted him to do, and he was not a part of the plan as God was going to unfold it. And so it's important for us to understand just because we have a good idea or just because we like something or we think, well, it's a blessed the Lord, let's do this. We are not, it is not our life. We are not in charge of our life. We are to be following God's plan. He is always at work, he always has a plan, and we are to be surrendering to that plan and seeking that plan. And before we set out on stuff, we're supposed to be asking the Lord what we should do. I mean, this is a major endeavor that David is talking about doing. He is talking about building a temple. This is a significant thing. Like, this is not just order and lunch. I mean, this is a major deal here. And he's about to launch into a major deal for the Lord with a right heart, but not what God wants him to do or how God is going to unfold that plan. And so this is a reminder of how significant it is that we are to always be seeking God's direction for the things that we're doing. Any kind of decision that has any significance at all, man, even if, you know, we're just always supposed to be surrendered and seeking Him. We're supposed to always be trying to find out what God wants us to do? What is God's plan? How does God want this to unfold? Because He is smarter than we are, He thinks longer term than we do. He has all kinds of people around us that He's doing things in their lives as well, alongside ours. And He has a plan, and we're supposed to be attaching into that plan. Now, again, there's a whole sermon there. I'm not going to spend like the whole time walking through that, but that is a hugely important deal. It is so important that God interrupts David's plan and stops him from doing it. And so we are to always be engaged. So here's the truth number one that you want to think through from that overriding principle. It is discipline. Where's the truth number one? I don't know where it is, but you'll see on your paper there, discipline. It is stay on the track. There it is. Stay on the tracks that God has given you. Stay on the tracks God has given you. What has God called you to? What direction has He given you? Life is way more about discipline than rocket science. It's far more about keep doing the things that God's called you to do and stay on track with those than it is constantly coming up with new things or trying to create some other deal or being distracted by every sort of idea or possibility that comes along. I mean, if God's planted you there, your job is to dig roots and to uh and to bear fruit and to stay in that flow and in that direction. David has a calling as the king. God has put certain things in front of David, and he's like, I need you to stay on that track, right? And so in our lives, if he's called you to be a Sunday school teacher, don't be jumping around doing other stuff. If he called you to be a Sunday school teacher, you're a Sunday school teacher. Teach Sunday school until he tells you to do something different. Church signs are kind of silly a lot of times, and you know, some more of them are terrible than are not. But there was one church line sign that I saw that I thought was particularly good. And it said this don't put a question mark where God has put a period. And I think that's pretty good. If he called you to teach Sunday school, don't ask him if it's time for you to quit. You keep doing that, and he'll move you if he wants to move you. If you're a deacon, deek, don't stop deaking, don't change, you keep going until he changes you to something else. Right? I mean, there's all kinds of examples of that. When I was a singles pastor, when you're dealing, especially now, it just keeps getting more that way as families have become more just dysfunctional, and now we live in a world of a dysfunctional generation raised their kids dysfunctionally, and then they got married and they're raising their kids dysfunctionally, and now those kids will be raised in a third generation dysfunctional home and all of that. Man, they don't, they struggle with all these things that sometimes we think, like, this is not hard. Why are you struggling with that? And one of the things they struggle with is they can't, they they can't dig roots, they can't make a commitment to anything. They are constantly waiting for the next thing that might come along. They are constantly maintaining this sort of, I'm not gonna commit to stuff because I just don't know what might happen or whatever. That's not the way God works. When he's planted you in a spot, you plow there, you dig roots there, you bear fruits there, and when or if God wants to move you, he will move you. He will move you. Um, pastor, somebody had a conversation uh yesterday, somebody's asking me, what's the average length of stay that pastors have in a church? It's it's like two years. And the kind of the running joke is most pastors can only write a hundred sermons, and so that's two years and two weeks of vacation each year, and they're out of sermons and they got to go to another church because they can't write anymore. I actually have 125, so y'all are stuck with me a little bit longer, right? But you know, just constantly you go through all these, and people just change all the time, they're just skipping around all the time, they're changing stuff all the time. Stay on track what God has planted. He says today to to Nathan to tell David, Have I asked for you to do that? I've not asked for anybody to do that. We've been doing this this way for this long, and this is what the plan is. Don't be asking for other stuff. Stay on track. I have not ever asked anyone to do that. That's not what the plan is. Keep going. And so I think truth number one is about discipline. When God has planted you and he's put you in a spot, you roll in that spot. There's a whole nother sermon there you could spend some time working through. Truth number two, seeking. Seeking. Discipline is the first one. Stay on track, right? Don't put a question mark where God put a period. The second one would be seeking. God makes his direction clear, but we're supposed to ask. We're supposed to ask him what it is. We're supposed to seek him out. We're not supposed to launch into something else. And so God does give us a clear direction. So, how does God give us a clear direction? How do we know that God is answering your prayer for direction? How do you know that God heard your prayer? How do you know if you're making a decision, am I going in the right direction? Am I making the right decision? How do I know that? Well, here's an incredible example right here. First of all, through God's commands. When he comes to Nathan and he tells, tell David this, what he says is, this is what I, the first thing he says is, you tell David, thus says the Lord. You tell David, thus says the Lord. I mean, you see what Nathan is told by the Lord. Go to my servant David in verse 5. This is what the Lord said. He repeats it again in verse 8. This is what the Lord of hosts says to David. And so the first thing you understand is God's word. And so anytime you're looking for direction, you want to find what the word of the Lord is. And for us, that's scripture. You can't just make up stuff like, hey, man, I think God wants me to do this. I think God wants me to be happy. I think God wants me to do that. I think God wants me to do that. Most of the time you hear people doing that, I can pretty much quickly give you three or four Bible verses that says that's a bad idea. I mean, it's just amazing. And so we are constantly going back to God's word. And the things that Nathan points to are actual scriptural instructions. The first time he says, Go to my David and say, This is what the Lord says, he is referring him directly back to God told you to establish the tabernacle. God's plan has been to be in the tabernacle, and that's what we're doing. So he goes directly back to God's words and instruction over the tabernacle. Then when he says it the second time, he goes back to God's instructions directly to David. And so he says, The Lord of hosts says, I took you, David, from the pasture and from the and from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel. I've been with you wherever you've gone. I've destroyed all your enemies before you. So he is reaffirming to David what he has already told David. And so this for us, the practical instruction is we go to God's word. We go to God's word, not some random we ate too many burritos one night and stayed up late and we felt like God told us something. That's not how that works. We go to God's word, and anytime you're looking for direction, many times, not always, but many times, you can confirm it in his word. Now, just you can be a little bit legalistic about it. I remember I've had once or twice when I was talking to someone and they said, Well, I'm not gonna let you do that until you come back with a Bible verse. I don't know that it's quite that legalistic, but 90% of the time, God's word is gonna give you a very clear direction or impression about what's happening. If anything, it will remind you, like he reminded David, this is what I've called you to do, this is the path that I've given you, and I don't change and stay on that path. So his word can even affirm that. So it's important when you're looking for directions, always pray through scripture and look for confirmation in the Word of God. There is times that God speaks to us, right? And so we are listening to Him speak to us. And so I remember when I was called to ministry, and sometimes people asked me about it. Last week, somebody was asking me again, how did you know you were called to ministry? Where I had danced around with it for a little while, I'd prayed through it, I'd kind of struggle with it and all that. My direction in life, I'm gonna, many of you will know, I'm an attorney by education, by training, experience, and I practiced law for six years before I was called in ministry. I'd wanted to be a lawyer since I was a seventh grader. Can't tell you why, I just wanted to be that. And then I every TV show I watched, I looked for the lawyer in the TV show. My first lawyer hero was Jared Barkley in the Big Valley. Some of y'all will remember The Big Valley, right? I mean, it was, I loved it. Now, don't give me the Matlock thing. I didn't like that show. I like Andy Griffith Fine. I just thought that show was dumb. But I loved lawyers. I loved being there. I had an uncle who was a lawyer. My dad would connect me with lawyers that he worked with and give me a chance to learn from them. I was headed off to be a lawyer. That's what I wanted to do my whole life. And I felt affirmed in that. I felt that God had gifted me in that direction. I was doing all that. When I was struggling with the call to ministry and I wasn't sure what to do, there was a point where I was being moved in that direction where I would become a partner and making decisions and being the lead attorneys on cases. And they had made me the lead attorney on a case in Ephraida, Washington. That's kind of in dead in the middle of the state of Washington. And I was writing a motion for summary judgment brief, which is kind of a big deal. I was going to go order that. I was going to argue that. I was writing that brief, and I thought, man, I'm the lead attorney. This is what I've lived for. I am a hired gun attorney. I'm flying all over the country. I am the man. It was awesome. And here I am in this deal. And God shows up in my office, and I mean, he just stopped me from writing this brief. I was literally doing what I'd spent my whole life at that point planning to do. And I could not do it. I couldn't get there. And I locked the door. I remember my pastor telling a story about when he was called in the ministry. And when he was called in the ministry, he was a college student. He was at a school in Florida on a football scholarship. He went out on the football field and he got on his face before the Lord and he said I couldn't get low enough. So he like dug a hole in the dirt so he could stick his face in the hole, get as low as he could get. And I remembered if that worked for him, that'll work for me. And so I locked the door of my office. I got under my desk and I got on my face prostrate before the Lord. And I mean, I just remember at that point, it was, Greg, whose life is it? Well, it's your life. Again, back to what scripture teaches us. It's not my life anymore. I've surrendered it to Jesus. If you want to be saved, the Bible tells us how to do that. If you'll believe in your heart that he's resurrected from the dead, and if you will confess with your mouth that he is Lord. And so when I got saved, I confessed he was Lord. And so I laid there and I said, It's your life, it's not mine. I'll do with it what you want to do with it. And God spoke clearly. It wasn't audible, it was louder than that. Y'all know what I mean? And it was, and so he does speak to us. And so there are times he speaks to you. Now it goes back to the first one, it'll be affirmed somewhere else. Most of the time when God does that, it'll be affirmed somewhere else because God's going to speak consistently. And so in my life, the way he spoke to me in that was it's not your life to do with what you want. It's my life. You gave it to me when you got saved. Whose life is it? And so the way he spoke to me lined up with scripture and in affirmed with spiritual principles. And then the third thing, this is one of the things that fascinates me about this. This was David's idea. And God is going to speak to David about his idea. But he doesn't speak to David directly. He speaks to Nathan and he sends Nathan back to the Lord. Why? That seems to me to be way convoluted. Why is he doing that? Well, here's what I firmly believe is involved in that. Look at how the story unfolds. When the king lived in his house and the Lord given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, so he's speaking to his pastor, his spiritual mentor, see now, I dwell in the house of Cedar, but the ark of God dwells in the tent. And Nathan said to the king, Go do all that's in your heart, for the Lord is with you. But the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. Here's what I firmly believe is involved in this. Nathan is his spiritual guide. As the prophet, he is his pastor, he is his mentor. There are going to be many times in David's life where David needs to listen to Nathan the prophet. Nathan told him, go do what's in your heart. David probably went home that night, called a bunch of guys in, got some scrolls and stuff, and he started dreaming of what the temple was going to look like. David's excited. He's excited about the Lord. He's fired up. Pastor told me to do that. He calls them all in. They stayed up all night designing what the temple's going to look like. Nathan affirmed that. God wanted to make sure that Nathan's voice continued to be a spiritual mentor in the life of David. And so God spoke to Nathan, so it was Nathan who went back and told him and fixed that advice, so that Nathan's position as a spiritual mentor stayed true and positive. And David's relationship with him as a spiritual mentor and a spiritual guide stayed solid. And Nathan's voice remained credible and was not in conflict with the word of the Lord in that moment. And I think that is a beautiful picture of how important spiritual guides, spiritual mentors are to us. It is really important that we have people who walk with Jesus in our lives and they are a sounding board that we can run things against, right? And God does this convoluted deal because he wants to reaffirm David's confidence in Nathan and being able to trust him as a spiritual mentor. And then God doesn't just tell Nathan, go fix it. So when Nathan comes back to David, he is coming back with a word from God. And so Nathan knows, now wait a minute, you told me yesterday to plan. I mean, I got these 20 people in my office all night long, and I'm making them design this deal. What do you change your mind for? No, when Nathan comes back, Nathan's word is listen, I have been with the Lord, and the Lord has shared this with me, David, to share with you. The word of the Lord is. And so Nathan remains in that spiritual mentor role. And we all need those. It's incredible how many mistakes that we would avoid and stay out of if we were listening to spiritual mentors. And then there's a whole message right there. And then just so you get this right here, how do you recognize a godly spiritual guide? Nathan models that for us in an incredible way. And here's at least your third sermon. They walk with the Lord. They walk with the Lord. Nathan the prophet, he hears from God. They walk with the Lord. Number two, they have a trusted prayer life. Here's what's happening. I'm pastoring in Paragol at what then was Eastside Baptist Church, now is Harvest Baptist Church. And so I'm I'm I'm just doing my job. God is good. He's I followed a terminated pastor who split the church. And man, God's been moving, and I was there five years, and the first one or two were tough, and then it got to be fun. And about the time it got really cooking and things were good, I get a call from some guy at First Baptist Cabot. And he says, Hey, I've been given your name, and I'd love to get a resume from you. I'm on the pulpit committee of First Baptist Cabot. And I said, Man, I'm not really interested. Man, God's good and things are getting fun here. I'm excited. And he goes, Well, uh, and then he gave me a name, Jimmy Sheffield, who was a mentor and a longtime spiritual guy, walks with God. He was prayer partners with T.W. Hunt and Henry Blackaby. So if Jimmy tells you he's been praying something, I'm pretty much gonna listen, right? And so he says, I got your name from Jimmy Sheffield. And I thought, this was literally my thought. I don't really know even where Cabot is. I'm from Memphis. I don't know anything about that. And I don't know anything about that church. I, you know, I just sort of, whatever. But but I trust Jimmy and I know he walks with God. And if he prayed about it, I at least need to listen. That doesn't mean I'm going, don't mean anything else, but if he put me in this and it's here's prayer time, then I'm gonna listen because that's who he is. Now I wouldn't do that with most people in the world, but there's there's some people in my life that I know their prayer life is so strong. Stuff happens when they pray for things. And if it's in their prayer life, then I'm gonna listen to that. Is that a good illustration and makes sense? Somebody that you know, and if you don't know somebody like that, you need to come talk to me and I'll introduce you some people like that in our church. Because everybody needs to have people like that that they spend time with, have coffee with, whatever. And the final thing is they focus you to God's direction for you. Advice is not, hey, this is what Greg thinks about a situation. Godly advice is have you prayed about it? Do you have a word from God? Here's some spiritual principles that relate to that. Here's what I know about your spiritual life, your walk with the Lord. Here's what I think you need to pray more about because are you growing in the Lord like that? I mean, it is it is very much they are pushing you back to God's direction. Dr. Floyd, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, you know, I worked with him in Nashville, and it's incredible. I mean, he never misses, he never misses a trick. It is always the same. As much as we've now spent time together, built a relationship, I've worked with him in Nashville, that whole thing. I mean, the first thing he'll tell me is, well, Greg, what did God tell you about it? I mean, every single time. If I called him this afternoon for advice, I guarantee you what his first piece of advice would be. Well, what have you been praying about and what has God told you about it? He is always pushing us back to our walk with the Lord. And that's exactly what Nathan does here. Here's what God said to you, David. Here's what God said about his people. David, here's what the Lord of hosts says to you about your calling and about your life. And then he gives him a blessing that comes from the Lord and affirms that blessing in his life. And so that's what a spiritual mentor looks like. That right there could be a sermon series, not just a sermon. But I've laid those in front of you. I know it's a little bit a lot today, but I want to give you some stuff to chew on in the next couple of weeks. So let's pray. Lord, thank you for today. I do thank you for spiritual mentors and godly people in our lives that speak to us, that point us to you. I pray for each of these men, number one, that they will be that for other people according to the model of Nathan. And I pray that you will make sure they have someone like that to speak into their life. We thank you for your word that you speak to us through as you've spoken to us through this example right here today. I pray you bless these guys. Keep them again, bring us back in June, excited with visitors in tow. We thank you for Jesus and salvation in his name. And everybody said.