ROAD RULES FOR THE REAL WORLD
Getting guidance for your decisions

Has anyone ever received a love letter? You know, the kind that says “Love you forever�? or “Friends forever�? or “If you ever need anything, call me.�?

I once got a few of these so-called love letters from a girl in 8th grade. At the end of these letters she would write “I’ll always miss you when were apart.�? And she doesn’t miss me anymore. She would also write, “Best friends forever.�? And we haven’t talked since we graduated 8th grade.

These letters that I received, and some of you received also, were full of broken promises, promises of everlasting love and friendship and all kinds of stuff that isn’t true today.

Well, there is another love letter that was written to each one of you, it’s called the Bible. It’s full of promises from the creator of the universe. Promises that will never change, or ever get broken.

I’m going to tell you about this “Love Letter�? today. My goal is for you not to just put this letter in a shoebox, or under your bed, or in a drawer somewhere.

God’s love letter is not only completely true, but it also stands the test of time. The letters that I received in 8th grade weren’t true, and they didn’t stand the test of time.

There are 3 ways to make decisions as I see it:

1. Internal – What you want to do
2. External – What others want you to do
3. Eternal – What GOD wants you to do

The myth that you are being taught by society and at school is that:
IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE

I heard one teacher who said “There are no absolute truths.�? So the student in the class raised his hand and said “Are you absolutely sure?�?

You see, its an illogical statement

In your notes it has a truth
BELIEFS DETERMINE YOUR BEHAVIOR AND YOUR BEHAVIOR DETERMINES WHAT YOU BECOME

In the “REAL WORLD�? you are taught there is no truth
• “I do what I want to do.�?
• “I don’t believe GOD established any values.�?
• “I don’t need GOD’s values.�?

The result of “I do what I want to do.�? Creates a sense that “I am my own god.�?

“I don’t believe GOD established any values.�? I don’t believe god laid down any rules for decision-making. Resulting in belief that GOD is unnecessary.

“I don’t need GOD’s values.�? Results in anything goes.

GOD’S STANDARD: BECOME A DISCIPLE…LEARN TO GROW ON YOUR OWN

Read John 8:31

1. Make a commitment to live God’s WAY
Imagine playing Scrabble with a friend and he puts a word that he made up. If he can go to the dictionary and find that word, if doesn’t matter any longer what you think, he gets the points. But if that word isn’t in there, it doesn’t matter what he thinks he gets no points.

See where I’m going with this?

While living your life, and your friend gives you advice on a decision, and you look it up in the Bible, and find that his advice is wrong, it doesn’t matter anymore what advice he gave, you checked it our yourself and found the truth.

The Bible is like the Cliff’s notes for living.

“Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will know how to find the right course of action every time.�? Proverbs 2:9

God doesn’t want you to live your life in turmoil because of bad decisions, he said in Proverbs 2:9 “You will know how to find the right course of action every time.�?

2. Learn God’s TEACHINGS

You may say Brandon, I’m totally sold out, I’ve been a Christian for 10 years, and haven’t missed one church service in the last 4 years.

I could say to you, “Do you believe this book (Bible) from cover to cover?�? and you would say, “Yeah man I believe it.�? Then my question to you would be, “do you know what’s in it?�? “Have you read it?�?

Its one thing for you to come and Randy, Greg, or myself to teach you for 30 minutes a week, its another thing for you to teach yourself during the week.

If I made a commitment to become a professional boxer, I need to learn what it takes to be a boxer.

If you make a commitment to live by God’s way, you need to learn what it takes to live by God’s way.

This Bible isn’t just a history book, it’s a living love letter, and the greatest one you’ll ever read.

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true (Circle the word “true�?) and to make us realize what is wrong (Circle the word “wrong�?) in our live. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right(Circle the word “right�?). It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.�? 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Now look what you just circled. What is TRUE, WRONG, and RIGHT.

Some of the most desperate people in the world are those who are in jail. And they are the ones who are raising their hands saying “Can I have a Bible?�?

If you know a little about history, when Nixon was going down for the Watergate scandal his right hand man was named Chuck Colson, and before Nixon resigned, Colson went to jail. And there in jail, at the bottom of the barrel, as bad as it gets, someone shared the worlds greatest love letter with him.

What is TRUE, What is WRONG, and What is RIGHT.

And there in jail, Chuck Colson gave his life to Christ and made a commitment to live by God’s Standards.

After that day, he never went back to politics you know what he did? He went into ministry. He developed the largest prison ministry ever. His prison ministry is in every single jail in the nation. People are desperate; they want to know what is TRUE, what is WRONG, and what is RIGHT.

READ “GOD’S WORD�? Bullet points.

I encourage you to look those verses up when you have some time.

3. Keep you commitment to God’s way when its not PRACTICAL or EASY.

Don’t think its ok to cheat on just one test, or compromise to make your life easier at the time.

The truth is that the Bible was true when it was written, and it is true to this very day.

If I take a rock, a simple and plain rock, around the world in a hot air balloon, then deep sea diving, then I throw it on the ground, then kick it all the way to New York, the truth is, its still a rock.

The rock is a rock no matter where you take it.

Just because a situation changes, don’t drop your commitment to God.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him…�?And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.�? John 8:31-32

4. Be REFRESHED by God’s Love Letter daily…for the rest of your life.

“You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk…�? 1 Peter 2:2

My biggest dog just recently had a small puppy that now looks like a guinea pig, and whenever this little pig cries, Annie the dog, gets up from whatever she is doing and runs in there, licks its butt, and gives it milk.

This little pig’s cry is easy for her to hear, and she hears it ever time.

This is how God is to us, when he hears us cry out, he immediately is there to help us, and guide us.

I want to challenge you right now, if you’re ready to grow, if your ready to base your life on God’s Standard.

Some of you have tried to read this (Bible). Maybe you started at the beginning, and got bored, or maybe you just picked it up in the middle and didn’t understand it, my challenge is this.

Ask someone for help, if your ready to take the next step in your relationship with Christ, this is the most important second step you can take is to read the Bible, and understand what you read.

I’m not going to have you raise your hands in front of everyone and say “I’m willing to read my Bible and apply it�? because that’s too easy. My challenge is this, just do it.

Go home today, and before the sun rises tomorrow morning, read your bible.

When you read, don’t try to read as much as you can before falling asleep, read slowly, read it twice, read it as many times as it takes until you understand it.

If you read it a few times and still don’t understand it, get out a piece of paper, and write down what you don’t understand, and on Wednesday, or next Sunday, or even during the week, ask someone whom you respect spiritually, “what does this mean?�?

And if you can do that, if you’re willing to do that, God is going to bless you, you will see changes in your life, and your friends will too.

If you don’t have a Bible, let Greg or I know, if you don’t know where to read, as Greg, your small group leader, or myself and we’ll put you where you should start.

There will be no excuses allowed when you get to heaven, so don’t make them here either. You say you don’t have time to read the bible? Do you go to the bathroom every day? Enough said.

Look at the verse at the bottom of your paper.

“Those who love your Word have great peace and do not stumble.�? Psalm 119:165

If you open you Bible to somewhere right near the middle you’ll find a book called Proverbs that coincidently has 31 chapters. Since tomorrow is the 21st, you could start in chapter 21, or you could just start in chapter 1 and go from there. Proverbs is all about gaining wisdom, living right, being successful, wise relationships, and so on.

You can blow this off if you want, and be like the King of Granada.

When his kingdom was captured, he was put in solitary confinement for 33 years, with just one book…the Bible.

With this one book to read, he read it over 200 times. The book became his constant companion. Then after 33 years of being alone with just the bible, he died. When they came to clean out his cell, they found some notes he had written, these were some of them.

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, and the shortest is Psalm 117.

Psalm 117 is the middle chapter of the Bible.

The longest verse is Esther 8:9, and the shortest is John 11:35(KJV)

Fifty one parables Jesus spoke are within the New Testament.

Esther and Song of Solomon are the only books of the bible that don’t mention the word “God�?

The Bible contains 773,692 words.

From all of his writings, we know that he never wrote about a relationship with Jesus Christ, but he became an expert of Bible Trivia.

One last thought: God wants you to live life to its FULLEST. He knows how to make that happen. Choose TRUTH and win big or choose THE LIE and lose big.

Do you want to be a winner or loser?