The Problem and Power of “Not Knowing”

We do so many things not knowing how it will all turn out.

We invest money not knowing if it will yield a return. We hop in the car not knowing if we’ll make it to our destination or be involved in a collision. We get married not knowing if the vows will be kept for a lifetime, as we “promised.” We move to a new city not knowing if it’s a place we’ll like to live.

On a daily basis we’re taking risks with the most mundane things because we don’t know how anything is going to turn out. There are simply no guarantees.

That could cause significant anxiety for anyone who is risk-averse or who just has to know all the details of how a thing will work out. We can’t, of course. And that’s the point. “Not knowing” is a part of life.

We don’t know the future. We can’t predict outcomes. There are too many variables and the very nature of life in this sin-marred world is that it is temporal. So, again, no guarantees.

There is, however, one constant: Jesus, who does not change like shifting shadows do (James 1:17). There is no variation in him.

In this message, I’ll be opening God’s Word to three separate accounts (Hebrews 11:8-10; Acts 20:17-38; James 1:17) of believers who faced big decisions while “not knowing” how it would all turn out. Abram, Joab, and Paul acted in faith and trusted the God who knows everything even if they didn’t.

This is a message that I believe will be helpful as we take these first steps into 2020.

Sermon Notes

The Problem and Power of “Not Knowing”
Pastor Todd Dugard
1 Chronicles 19:10-13; Acts 20:17-38; Hebrews 11:8-10

January 12, 2020

Jesus is what I need as I enter a new year “not knowing” what will happen to me.

—

The problem: I don’t know what’s going to happen this year

7 wrong responses to “not knowing” what’s going to happen to me

1. Angry with God
2. Envious of others
3. Anxious and fearful
4. Gripped by grief over past losses
5. Filled with regret over past decisions
6. Consumed with self
7. Take matters into my own hands (shut God out)
—

The power: I do know someone who does
—

• Jesus helps me endure

—

• Jesus gives me purpose

My Purpose:

I am here to glorify God in whatever I do.
My mission is to make more and better followers of Jesus Christ.
And I am to love God and love people as I do that.

Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to “go out” in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don’t know what God is going to do next.
Oswald Chambers

—

• Jesus grows my faith

Faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon
it no matter how I feel knowing God promises a
good result.
Ron Allchin

1 Chronicles 19:13b

My Desire for 2020:
A. That everything would go my way and life would be easy for me;
OR
B. That my faith would grow and my intimacy and knowledge of God would be beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.

—

• Jesus gives me hope

Philippians 3:10–11
—

• Jesus tells me I’m loved