Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. It is a blessing to see a pastor with a vision that he has. he just shared for us.
I'm not even a member preaching. I'm voting for it already. I say 100%. Let's just go ahead and roll. Let's just go ahead.
Because I've learned over the years, 33 years of being full-time, being saved, 42 years of my life. That Baptist people will give. to what they love. You'll give your time. You'll give your talent and you'll give your finances to the things that you love.
And that's what will take care. Of all of it, just letting people know our family, our my little 12-year-old here. I got a three-year-old grandson that needs Jesus real bad and a three-year-old granddaughter, a four-year-old grandson, three-year-old granddaughter, and a two-year-old granddaughter. I want to give to them. I want them to know that when I'm gone, Jesus Christ is still alive and well.
and he can do whatever he wants to do with them. And I want them to be willing. But we're going to do this song, Thank You, Lord. For making the sun to shine, putting the stars in the sky for flowers that bloom, the ocean so blue. Thank you, Lord.
For the sparrow that sails, it makes sweet melody for rivers that flow. The rain and the snow. Thank you, Lord. I just want to thank you, Lord. I just want to thank you, Lord, for everything that you've done for me.
Baddie, you love you. I just want to thank you, Lord. I just want to thank you, Lord, for making me whole, saving my soul, thank you, Lord. For my home and family, for the choice that you give unto me. The shoes on my feet and plenty to meet thank you, Lord.
For this church to worship and pray, for the freedom that I have today. Sweet spirit, I feel your presence. Thank you, Lord for being a friend so dear. Give me my sad heart cheer for holding my hand. When I could not stand, thank you for giving your life for me on the cross at Calvary for taking my place, your mercy and grace.
Thank you, Lord. I just wanna thank you, Lord. I just wanna thank you, Lord, for everything that you've done for me. Thank you, Lord. I just wanna thank.
You, Lord, I just wanna thank you, Lord, for making me whole, saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole, saving my soul. Thank you, Lord. I've been down, I've seen the Lord. Up hard time stories.
You know, I've got up, but I am not complaining, even though it's raining. I know I'm gonna be alright. There heart is. I can't see the sunshine. Clouds only.
I can't even see the light. But that's when I start singing. A song that keeps on ringing through the night. I've got peace in the middle of my sorrow. There is joy coming tomorrow.
God has never left me. I couldn't ask for more. And if you hear rejoicing, we've been here before. Don't mind me. I'm shouting in the middle of my story.
It would be easy to get discouraged. I'm not saying that I never worry. One thing that remains the same is: He's still God, and He will never change. I've got peace in the middle of my sorrow. There is joy coming tomorrow.
God has never left me. I couldn't ask for more. And if you hear rejoicing, we've been here before. Don't mind me. I'm shouting in the middle of my joy.
I've got peace in the middle of my sorrow. There is joy coming tomorrow. I've got peace in the middle of my sorrow. There is joy coming tomorrow. God has never left me.
I couldn't ask for more. And if you hear rejoicing, we've been here before. Don't mind me. I'm shouting in the middle of my show. Amen.
So good to have the Matthews family with us. Proverbs chapter 16. We'll get right to it. We've got baptism to happen, and I know our Time has quickly progressed. Thank you for your patience.
And but I think we ought to give time for vision. and what God has laid on our heart. I just want to speak on this just for a couple minutes in Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 9 that Brother Frank. Um just read. I guess if we had a title, our title is Man Deviseth.
The Lord directeth. If you look at this verse. Man deviseth The Lord Directif. It means this, we plan. God provides.
We plan, we prepare, we prepare, we project. But God directs, God decides, and God does the work. And that's how the two mesh with each other. This is the balance between our plan and God's providence. It's the balance between our vision and God leading and bringing that vision.
to pass. This verse is very, very interesting. It's a short one, but... It puts both human responsibility and divine sovereignty in their proper place. We can devise but only God can direct.
We can plan. but only God can provide. We can organize But only God can orchestrate.
Now here's what's interesting. Proverbs chapter 16, let me just show you quickly. Proverbs 16 is a chapter.
So, all the way through this chapter about the balance between human effort. and divine enablement. And the whole point here is that When you use human effort, it doesn't mean you don't need divine enablement. We do. But it means that though there is divine enablement, it doesn't mean you don't need human effort.
It means we do our part. And God does what we can't do. Let me show you. Look at verse 1. It'll be on the screen for you.
I just want to see the preparation. of the heart in man. The preparations of the heart in man.
So that means we prepare, notice this, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Which means this. What does he talk about?
Well, listen, I can prepare and I can study and I can do all kinds of things when I get up here on a Sunday morning. But when it comes time for me to share God's word, he's going to have to give the answer of the time. It means God's not just going to Use me even if I don't prepare, don't pray, don't do anything. No, no, no, no, no. God is going to use me if I prepare and if I pray and if I study and if I do all those things.
But when it comes to whether it's going to be used or not or useful or not, it depends on God. Amen.
Look at verse 3. Commit thy works unto the Lord. There's works. That's human effort. Commit thy works to the Lord.
That means do for the Lord. Notice this, and thy thought shall be established. It means this, that if I do what I can for God, I can do that. But not always am I going to know things and understand things and I might not understand how everything fits together. And God says, you commit what you do to me, I'll establish your thoughts.
Look at verse 9. A man's heart deviseth his way. That means a man literally has the capacity to plan and think things through and devise doesn't mean that man's trying to do something wrong. It means literally that a man. Plans and prepares, and that's what we are to do, but God directs the steps.
Look at verse 33. The lot is cast into the lap. But the whole disposing thereof. is of the Lord. Do you understand this?
Every one of these verses, you do this. God will do what you can't do. Yeah. Everybody got that? Yeah.
I want you to notice, number one, quickly this morning, the preparation of man. Verse 9 says, A man's heart deviseth His way. This emphasizes our role. Where to think, where to plan, where to prepare. I believe through God's word, we're told we are to take wise steps.
Do you agree with that? Say amen. Notice first we have the capacity to plan. A man's heart deviseth. That means that God gave us an ability to arrange, to consider, and to strategize.
That word devise in the Hebrew here literally means To arrange To consider, to strategize. God gave us minds to think through things. To think through ministry direction, to think through family decisions, to think through financial steps, to think through life transitions and transactions and all these different things. Look at verse 3. Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established.
We are to plan. We are to commit our works unto the Lord. We have the capacity to plan. Notice a second, we have the commitment to prepare. A man's heart deviseth what?
His way. Verse 1 says, the preparations of the heart It means this, you and I. are not just to plan, but we are to prepare. I think of Luke 14. You all know this passage.
Just want to show you this one verse in there. It says, For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost? That means I have the capacity to plan, but now I need the commitment to prepare. God expects wise preparation. Noah planned the ark.
Moses planned the tabernacle. David planned the temple. Nehemiah planned the whole rebuilding of a city. Paul planned out his missionary journeys. We're even told in the Bible how he did that.
So God expects us to plan and to prepare. Notice, thirdly, we see the consecration of our path. Look at verse 3. Commit thy works unto the Lord. Look at this verse: Psalm 37:5.
Commit thy way unto the Lord. unto the Lord. Do you see that? It means What we do, how we do it, is all committed to the Lord. It means if if my path Our vision Is going to be consecrated.
That means set apart for God. It means that I do not plan independently of God. We plan in submission to God. God, this is what we feel you've laid on our heart, but God, we want what you want. More than anything else.
The planning of man, the preparation of man. But notice secondly in this verse. We see the providence of God. But The Lord directeth his steps. This reveals divine Sovereignty.
always trumps human effort. Our plans may have many steps, but God directs every step. Yes, Jim. Notice first God directs the path. It says, but the Lord directeth.
Now that's an interesting word. Psalm 32, verse 8 says, God says, I will instruct thee and teach thee. I will guide thee with mine eye. Did you hear that? God says, my process is, I'm going to instruct you, and then I'm going to teach you, and then I'm going to guide you.
Do you understand what I say when this verse says that, listen, we devise, we come up with a plan, but God directs. It means that God. Literally has part in every part of the process. This word directeth in the Hebrew means, and I want you to see this: to set up, to establish, to fix, to prepare, to appoint, to render sure, to fashion, to fasten, firm, to be fitted, to be fixed. You say all these things.
Yes, this word can be used in any of these contexts to make perfect, to make preparation, to make provision, to prepare. It means that God has to do everything. It means God opens doors, God closes doors, God redirects, God realigns. God directs the path. Notice, secondly, God decides the pace.
Now this is what's frustrating. But the Lord directeth what? Here's Now what did man devise in the verse? Man deviseth his Wait. But God directs his You see, man sees this final goal.
This is what I want. But God directs every step. of the way. Amen.
Habakkuk 2.3, the vision, listen to what God says, the vision is yet for an appointed time. No, not yet. When it's my time, God says. Psalm 37, 23, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, not the giant leaps, the steps.
Sometimes God says not yet.
Sometimes God says not that way.
Sometimes God says not with them.
Sometimes God says, don't marry her.
Some of you should have listened to that. All right, so then. Or him, right? Right, ladies, or him, okay.
Sometimes God says not now. God decides the pace. Oh, you might have planned your way, but... God takes it a step at a time. Yeah, but in this Now what, 13 years?
Man, we're just getting to... Half of what I dreamed of. 12 years ago. Brother Joe told me years ago, Daniel, when you're leading people, you better stop and turn around and make sure they're there. He said, You're going to turn around.
And they're not going to be anywhere near you. He says you're going to have to go back to where they are. and lead them from there. I want you to notice number three, God determines the product. You know what's interesting in this chapter, verse 3, it says, Commit thy works unto the Lord.
And thy thoughts shall be established. But look at Psalm 37, verse 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Do you see those two verses? Commit your works.
Commit your way. Commit what you do, commit where you want to go, commit how you think you're going to do it. Give it all to God. God's going to establish your thoughts, and God's going to bring it to pass. God determines the product.
Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Listen, we may plan something good, God may produce something better. We may imagine small. God may intend greater. No, listen, I Maybe my faith's small.
But I'm realistic, I think. 150,000 for a Christ offering is very lofty to me, but I'm going to tell you something: that might be really small to God. That's right.
Well, there's three of us that can I have an amen right there? Listen, God might bring 500 grand in here for a Christmas offering. We might get a little bit of a start on an auditory. We don't know what, listen, I know that I am going to say, hey, this is what God's laid on my heart. But listen, when it comes down to doing it, it's going to have to be God.
And why I'm asking you to help me today is we're We're going to begin a process today of calling. On God. I want you to notice number three, the partnership of planning. Proverbs 69, a man's heart deviseth. The Lord directeth.
Our responsibility and God's sovereignty work together. It's not a conflict, it's a cooperation.
Now listen to me for two things. Man's effort does not eliminate God's leading. It doesn't just say a man's heart deviseth and it happens. It didn't say that. Secondly, God's leading does not eliminate man's labor.
It doesn't just say the Lord directs. He doesn't have anything to direct if the man doesn't devise. There is a partnership in planning. We do the devoting, God does the directing, we set the way, God sets the walk, we have the desire, God has the design. Listen, Israel had to step into the Jordan before the waters parted.
God didn't part the waters and then they stepped in and walked. No, they had to step into the water and then God parted them. Number four, as we close, I want you to see the praise when God does it. The preparation of man The providence of God. The partnership and the planning.
And the praise when God does it. I notice the first thing, number one, God gets the glory. Verse 4 of chapter 16 that we are says, The Lord hath made all things for himself. He gets the glory. Listen, when our plans succeed, if they do, we can't boast about anything.
God directed the steps, God opened the doors, God provided the means. God gets the glory. But I want you to notice, secondly, we grow in faith. When God does it, he gets the glory, but we grow. In faith.
Why I'm asking you today to get a burden, get a vision. Help us. Help us. pray, get a burden, want it as much as we do. for your kids, for your grandkids.
I noticed in verse 1, remember? the preparations of the heart and man. But the answer is from the Lord. Remember, verse 3: Commit thy works, and thy thoughts shall be established. Remember, verse 9: A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Remember, verse 33: The lot is cast, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Do you understand what it's saying? It's saying, every time you take a step of faith and you depend on God, and then God does it, what happens? You grow, you grow in faith, you trust God more, the whole foundation begins to grow. And that brings us to verse 16.
Everything in this chapter, look at verse 16. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold, and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver? The highway of the upright is to depart from evil, and he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. Look at verse 20: he that handleth a matter wisely shall find good, and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. What are those verses?
Notice how much better is it? And I'm here to tell you when we prepare. And we do our part. And then we depend on the providence of God. And we work with Him and submit to Him and say, God, we want what you want.
What's going to happen? He's going to get the glory, we're going to grow. Yeah, he made it. He made it. Every time God directs.
That builds trust for the next step. Every time we plan and we see God provide, every time we devise, but we see God direct. I've watched God do it over and over again in my few years. Why don't you notice third, others see God at work? When God does it, he gets the glory, we grow.
and others see God at work. Look at verse 6. By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. Did you hear that? When you commit something to God and God does it, men see it, they respect, and men depart from evil.
They fear the Lord. Notice verse 7: when a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies. To be at peace. What does it mean? It means when you do this process and when we do this process, others see God at work, even your enemies.
Even people that criticize and have whatever, you just stay put, stay faithful. And God begins to do things, all of a sudden they shut up. All of a sudden they realize they're the minority now, not the majority. You just got to be faithful long enough to watch that happen. We devise, God directs, we plan, God provides, we step, but God sees.
So verse 9 is simple. Plan wisely, pray humbly, proceed boldly. Trust wholly. It means this. We can plan, we can prepare, we can project, and we can promote.
But God directs, God decides, God does the work. And God deserves. The glory. I'm asking today before we baptize, and we'll baptize, and we'll be done. While we're getting ready for baptism, Brother Jacob, we have some folks that are going to join the church today.
He's going to do that while we're getting changed. And if we're not ready at that point, Brother Scott will sing a song, but we'll get right to the baptism as quick as we can. I know you're hungry. You're actually going to get to lunch at the same time as the other churches today.
So I apologize. I'm going to ask today, I'm not just doing this for something to do. I'm just asking, listen, we're kind of vulnerable today. We've given you a vision, we've given you things we want to do. Knowing full well maybe not everybody's on board, but This is what God laid on our hearts.
And what I'm asking is if you'd Those that are able, if you'd find a place at the altar and help us pray today. This is Vision Sunday. What do I pray, preacher? First, we pray for God's will. God All we want is what you want.
If there's anything about this that you don't want, we don't want it either. Second, we pray of God if this is what you want. Make it happen. You do it. And third, we pray.
Use me. In the process. That's all. Any of you that are willing? If you'll come, I want us to find a place at the altar.
And um I want us to pray. And I know you've been sitting a while, let's all stand. For those that are coming, and you can. Just stand right there in your seat. I know it'll make it a little bit easier for people getting out.
I know you've been sitting. Good. As we pray, if there are some of you obviously involved in baptism, if you wish to, you can go head on out. The changing rooms are right over here out this door on the left. Yeah, yeah.
Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192. or via the web.
at Kerwin Baptist Church.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today. God bless you.
