Making Wise Choices In Difficult Situations
Larry Wynn
2 chronicles 10
Introduction
A. Opening illustration: a sunday school teacher told his class about the story of lazarus and the rich man. He highlighted the plight of lazarus, and the blatant neglect of the rich man. One was privileged in this world and the other found peace in heaven. After the teacher had shared these truths, he posed this question to his class, ''now, which would you rather be, boys, the rich man or lazarus?'' one guy raised his hand and replied, ''i'd like to be the rich man while i'm living and lazarus when i die.''
B. That's not unlike many of us if we will be very honest. We want what is expedient now, but we want the outcome to be good later.
C. The truth is, consequences are a natural part of choices. We can't have both worlds, wrong decisions and good outcomes. Our lives are a sum total of the decisions and choices we make.
D. In the bible we have a story that illustrates this well. The story is found in ii chronicles 10. It is the story of a king who had a major decision to make. His choice would affect and entire nation for years to come. 1. His decision was consequential.
Ill. We all make these decisions. Often they come in crisis times:
Couple having trouble in their marriage. Teens who are dating regarding sexual purity. Person on the verge of a career change. Person who is contemplating turning his life over to christ.
2. It is obvious he made the wrong decision.
3. What could he have done to make the right decision?
I. The demand for consequential decisions.
A. The demand for decision making is written into the very fabric of our lives.
1. There is no way rehoboam could get around making a decision.
2. There is no way we can escape it either.
3. Life is a series of choices.
B. As our responsibilities increase so do the number of decisions we have to make.
Ill. A pre-schooler has to make decisions, but these decisions are ...
Larry Wynn
2 chronicles 10
Introduction
A. Opening illustration: a sunday school teacher told his class about the story of lazarus and the rich man. He highlighted the plight of lazarus, and the blatant neglect of the rich man. One was privileged in this world and the other found peace in heaven. After the teacher had shared these truths, he posed this question to his class, ''now, which would you rather be, boys, the rich man or lazarus?'' one guy raised his hand and replied, ''i'd like to be the rich man while i'm living and lazarus when i die.''
B. That's not unlike many of us if we will be very honest. We want what is expedient now, but we want the outcome to be good later.
C. The truth is, consequences are a natural part of choices. We can't have both worlds, wrong decisions and good outcomes. Our lives are a sum total of the decisions and choices we make.
D. In the bible we have a story that illustrates this well. The story is found in ii chronicles 10. It is the story of a king who had a major decision to make. His choice would affect and entire nation for years to come. 1. His decision was consequential.
Ill. We all make these decisions. Often they come in crisis times:
Couple having trouble in their marriage. Teens who are dating regarding sexual purity. Person on the verge of a career change. Person who is contemplating turning his life over to christ.
2. It is obvious he made the wrong decision.
3. What could he have done to make the right decision?
I. The demand for consequential decisions.
A. The demand for decision making is written into the very fabric of our lives.
1. There is no way rehoboam could get around making a decision.
2. There is no way we can escape it either.
3. Life is a series of choices.
B. As our responsibilities increase so do the number of decisions we have to make.
Ill. A pre-schooler has to make decisions, but these decisions are ...
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