2-Embracing My Lot
5/3/15
INTRO:
I.
II.
Psalms 16:5-6
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I
have a delightful inheritance.
THE “A” ON THE TEST SCENARIO
a) The Randomness of Life
b) The Chaos of Nature
c) The Freedom of the Will
BODY:
I.
The Randomness of Life
The boundary lines have fallen for me
A.
Determinism blames God for things He did not do.
1) Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of his will.
2) ARMINIUS LOSING HIS FAMILY TO WAR AND LIFE TO T.B.
a) He saw how predestination made people despair
b) Double-predestination made God the “author of sin”
B.
Some things in life are too important to be left up to chance.
1) Putting the stones in a jar and shaking until one fell out
2) 1 John 5:13-14
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God.
3) PASCAL’S WAGER—SOME THINGS CANNOT BE LEFT TO
CHANCE
II.
The Chaos of Nature
In pleasant places
A. Not everything this side of heaven can be predicted or
controlled.
1)
2)
SYSTEMS
a)
3)
B.
nature.
“When the present determines the future, but the
approximate present does not approximately determine
the future.”
b) Weather is only predictable to about a week ahead
c) Edward Lorenz “Butterfly Effect”
“Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in
Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?”
JURASSIC PARK—CHAOS THEORY
There is an element of chaos built in to the creative forces of
1)
2)
3)
III.
Ecclesiastes 8:7-8
Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else
what is to come? As no one has power over the wind to
contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death.
CHAOS THEORY—THE PROBABILITY OF DETERMINISTIC
HOW THE MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS GOT FORMED
Jeremiah 10:12-13
But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world
by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his
understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the
heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the
earth.
LOSING COUSIN DIANE AT THE BEACH
The Freedom of Life
Surely I have a delightful inheritance
A.
Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we respond.
1) Isaiah 40:6-8
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the
flowers of the field . . . The grass withers and the flowers
fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
2) “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.”
—Reinhold Niebuhr, 1934
B.
No matter our lot in life, we can find great delight in the Lord.
1) Psalms 37:3-4
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy
safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you
the desires of your heart.
2) DAD NEVER FEARING AND NEVER BLAMING GOD
OTHER SCRIPTURES:
Joshua 18:6-7
After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring
them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our
God. (At the entrance of the tent of meeting, Josh. 19:51)
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
Matthew 5:44-45
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that
you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Psalms 145:8-9
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The
Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
1 Corinthians 10:13
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can
bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can endure it.
James 1:9-11
Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.
But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away
like a wild flower.