[Biblemat] S> Good Intentions

[ZekeFlores1 at cs.com]

Brethren,
       Here's a lesson I adapted from several sources. I hope you can use it.

       Zeke Flores
       Kiber Street church of Christ
       Angleton, TX
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Good Intentions
Judges 8:22-35
Intro:  Have you ever started out doing something you 
       thought was good only to have it blow up in your face?
       A.   I remember a recent story in the news concerning a 
             man who was at a neighbor's party. He returned 
             home to get something that was needed at the 
             party and heard a noise which he thought was a 
             burglar. He tracked down the burglar who was hiding 
             in a closet, opened the door, and shot the intruder to 
             death. Immediately the man realized that he had 
             shot and killed his daughter. Later the man learned 
             that his daughter had been hiding in the closet as 
             part of a game or joke.
       B.   On a less disastrous scale, I can't remember how 
             many times I've laid a broken toy or appliance on 
             my workbench intending to fix it and never doing it.
       C.   The outcome of good intentions are not always good!
             1. Judges 8:22-27 – Gideon
             2. Perhaps Gideon made the ephod as a symbol 
                   their decisions would be according to God's will. 
                   However, he made the mistake of acting without 
                   consulting God.
                   a.   So, whatever good intentions he may have had, 
                   the people turned it into an idol and when Gideon 
                   died, they had no problem going into full blown 
                   idolatry.
                         1) Judges 8:33
                   b.   Though Gideon's intentions were good, 
                   the outcome was bad and cost everyone involved.
                         1) Judges 8:34-35
       D.   How can we match a good outcome with a good intention?

I.  Consult With God Before Acting
       A.   Determining God's will on anything we do ought to be 
             1st thing for a Xian.
             1. Sometimes we start with the intent, then try & find 
                   ways to justify it.
                   a.   An episode of Mattlock exemplifies this 
                         attitude as a man tried to protect a friend 
                         by lying. When Mattlock confronted the 
                         man with evidence of his lie, the man gave 
                         an excuse like this: "I have known my neighbor 
                         for a long time and I know that he would not 
                         have killed anyone. I wanted to protect him. 
                         What I did was wrong, but I did it for the right 
                         reason." In other words the man said: Since 
                         my intent was good, my action (although wrong) 
                         was justified. But the truth is, there is never a 
                         right reason for doing something wrong. Nor 
                         does a "good" intent justify sinful actions. 
             2. God's word, read honestly, has a way of cutting through 
                   all the things that can cloud an issue.
                   a.   Heb 4:12-13
II. Count The Cost
       A.   Our choices steer us between success and failure. 
             Often, our determination, or lack of it, seals the 
             decision one way or another.
       B.   Jesus emphasized careful decision making
             1. Luke 14:25-33
             2. Jesus is not discouraging discipleship, but warns 
                   against attempting such a great and serious 
                   undertaking with a frivolous attitude or lack 
                   of resolve.
                   a.   Real discipleship is all about character building. 
                         You will be tested!
       C.   Counting the cost also means recognizing the 
             sacrifices involved.
             1. 1 Cor 9:24-27
                   a.   No athlete says lightly, "I'm going to the 
                         Olympics." if he really intends on making 
                         the games.
             2. Judges 11:29-40 (Jephthah & his daughter) is a 
                   good example of making a frivolous vow. It teaches 
                   us that God will require the cost!
III.    Don't Play The Hypocrite
       A.   Hypocrite from a Greek word meaning actor, one who 
             puts on a face.
             1. Further implied is the person pretends to be 
                   something they're not and has no intention 
                   of becoming.
             2. For us to change, really change, is to desire it so 
                   strongly that we eventually become what 
                   (who) we say we want to become.
       B.   The Bible warns against "forgetting" our purpose.
             1. James 1:21-26
             2. Why would someone forget? Because he doesn't 
                   really want to see his flaws, he doesn't really 
                   want to have to put the effort in that real change 
                   requires.
             3. People with good intentions only hear the word of 
                   God, but don't act on it.
             4. Note Simon's example
                   a.   Acts 8:20-23
             5. Without changing the internals, the externals will 
                   never be right. You'll always just be acting.
IV. Finish The Project
       A.   My mom always said, "Any job worth doing is worth 
             doing right!"
             1. There's certainly some Bible truth to that.
       B.   The wise man speaks of finishing well.
             1. Ecc 7:1, 8
             2. What do we really have in the end? Our service to 
                   God and man. No one will care about the hours 
                   you spent on the boat, or relaxing on a hammock. 
                   At your death, the only question asked will be 
                   "What have you done with your life?"
             3. Our works (for God, the church, our communities) 
                   must be finished out honorably.
       C.   Though something may begin in grief and difficulty, 
             it can end in joy.
             1. Psalm 126:5-6

Conc.   When you obeyed the gospel, you made known to 
             God & your brethren your intention to follow through.
       A.   Have you? Or, do you go through the motions hoping 
             everyone else is fooled?
       B.   Intentions, in and of themselves, are just that: intentions. 
             Good intentions depend on determination, sincerity, 
             and action in order to become good outcomes.
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