Fifteenth Day: 'He Leadeth me.'
The sermon emphasizes the importance of being willing to follow God's leadings and waiting patiently for His guidance.
J. Wilbur Chapman preaches about detecting the Lord's leadings through various ways: following Jesus' example, seeking guidance from His teachings in the Gospels, listening to advice from friends, being attentive to sermons or hymns, and recognizing inner promptings of the Spirit as God's leadings. Chapman emphasizes the importance of being willing to do God's will, stating that it requires a well-kept life to both do and will to do His will. He highlights the rarity and value of a truly willing soul that seeks to align with God's will.
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THERE are certain ways by means of which we may surely detect the Lord's leadings.
His own example is an illustration. What did he do in circumstances so nearly like our own?
His instructions given his disciples in the Gospels may serve as guideposts for us, pointing out the way in which we should walk. The advice of a friend may be the very clearest teaching of God.
The preaching of a sermon or the singing of a hymn may open clearly the way.
Those inner promptings of the Spirit which come we know not how are as a rule the leadings of God.
And, if two of these agree, it is at least well to consider carefully whether this may not be God's call to walk in the way of his own choosing. However, Henry Drummond has said in his "Ideal Life," "Let it be remembered that it requires a well-kept life to will to do the will of God. It requires a well-kept life to do the will of God, and even a better-kept life to will to do his will. To be willing is a rarer grace than to be doing the will of God, For he who is willing may sometimes have nothing to do, and must only be willing to wait, and it is easier far to be doing God's will than to be willing to have nothing to do; it is easier far to be working for Christ than it is to be willing to cease. So there is nothing rarer in the world today than the truly willing soul, and there is nothing more worth coveting than the will to will God's will. There is no grander possession for any Christian life than the transparently simple mechanism of a sincerely obeying heart; and, if we could keep the machinery clear, there would be lives in thousands doing God's will on earth even as it is done in heaven."
"Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me
The changes that will surely come I do not fear to see
I ask thee for a present mind, Intent on pleasing thee."
SUGGESTIONS FOR TODAY.
1. Tell him that for today at least you are perfectly willing to be led.
2. Wait patiently before you move, that you may know whether he is really going in advance of you. Remember that much of the chafing and disappointment and fret of life have come because you were impatient and moved before the pillar of cloud led you.
3. Do not say, "I cannot know his will; I am stupid about it all." This matters little to Christ, even if it be true. If he cannot make you understand in one way, he will in another. It is the business of the Shepherd to lead the willing sheep aright.
Sermon Outline
- Ways to Detect the Lord's Leadings
- His Own Example
- Instructions from the Gospels
- Advice of a Friend
- Preaching and Singing
- Inner Promptings of the Spirit
Key Quotes
“Let it be remembered that it requires a well-kept life to will to do the will of God.” — J. Wilbur Chapman
“There is nothing rarer in the world today than the truly willing soul, and there is nothing more worth coveting than the will to will God's will.” — J. Wilbur Chapman
“It is the business of the Shepherd to lead the willing sheep aright.” — J. Wilbur Chapman
Application Points
- Be willing to follow God's leadings, even if it means waiting patiently for His guidance.
- Remember that God will make His will known to you in time, and it's not necessary to understand everything at once.
- Cultivate a sincerely obeying heart, where the will of God is transparently simple and clear.