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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/daniel-shutt/looking-to-the-future/
Second Kings, Chapter 20. And just for the benefit of those of you who are watching, I intend to be done just about a quarter to 11. And that will help you to anticipate, and it will keep me on track.
And so I have a short message at the beginning of the conference that I hope will stir you and inspire you at the very outset. Second Kings, Chapter 20. And I am going to begin reading at verse number 14.
The story is this, that there were men sent from Assyria to the palace of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and he made a desperate mistake. He invited these men to look at the treasures of the house of God.
And so God sent the prophet to speak to Hezekiah about what he had done. Second Kings, Chapter 20, and verse 14, then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah and said unto him, what said these men?
And from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, they are come from a far country, even from Babylon. And he said, what have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, all the things that are in thine house have they seen.
There is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. Verse 16, and Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the days come that all that is in thy house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day shall be carried into Babylon.
Nothing shall be left. That's a really striking statement. Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, they shall take away. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah. Now just hold your breath for a minute while I read this. Because what I am going to read is so amazing, you could hardly give it credibility if it were not recorded in the word of God.
Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. What planet was this man on? Had he heard what God had said? That everything that had been accumulated through the generations was going to be swept away?
And his sons were going to be taken away? And his future was going to be taken away? And yet this man has the unbelievable response. Is it not good if peace and truth are in my day? And to put it in plain English, why not if there will be peace and security in my days?
I want to read a couple of other sections of the scriptures with you. I'll be back to this one, because I have some very pointed things that I want to say about it. But 1 Chronicles now, chapter 12. 1 Chronicles chapter 12.
And one of my, I guess I would say, favorite verses in 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 12 and verse 32. 1 Chronicles 12 and verse 32, the subject is the crowning of King David. And there's a little snippet here, just part of a verse.
It says this. And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. Now, one last reading, and this is a very familiar one in Acts chapter 20.
And if the Lord helps me this morning, I want to stitch these very different sections that we have read together. Acts chapter 20 and verse number 27. This is Paul's address to the elders at Ephesus. Acts chapter 20 and verse 27.
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the flock of God, the church of God rather, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore, watch and remember. And that's all I want to read. And I trust God will bless this through all of your hearts. I want to speak this morning about the importance of looking to the future. I am going to give a rather strong message this morning, because I believe that there is the very real possibility of trading future blessing for present comfort.
That really seems to be the motif that was in Hezekiah's mind. He was a man who was a man of God. I do not want to stand in judgment of the rest of the life of this man Hezekiah. I have no doubt that he was a blessing to God's people.
And I have no doubt that there was personal devotion in his heart for the God that had made him king. But there seems to be this amazing blind spot that comes out in this point in his life. And this statement that he makes when speaking to Isaiah the prophet about the future of the nation and the future of his family, why not?
If there will be peace and security in my days. Brothers and sisters, I want to challenge my own heart. And I want to challenge all of our hearts today. That we will be men and women who will think about the future of testimony.
You know, there is a certain percentage of our population that is always looking backward. And they recall the glory days and the wonderful times that used to be. I'm not sure that they were quite as wonderful as the golden glow of memory makes them.
But I want to tell you that that will be of no practical use to the people of God. I'm not suggesting that we forget the teaching of the past. In fact, I will argue that we need to remember it and to obey it.
And I'm not suggesting that we should somehow diminish the godly example of those who have gone before. But let me just say this as clearly as I know how. The future of assembly testimony depends on men and women who will look with insight and foresight to the future and will so arrange their own lives and the lives of God's people so that they will be strengthened for the day to come.
Here's what I want to say. This is no time to relax. This is no time to somehow lean back in our spiritual chase lounge and glide off to the glory. This is a time for people to take up the challenge of living for God and for the future.
This is the time to take up the challenge of teaching our children and our grandchildren the unchanging values of the word of God. And I trust that today there will be stirred by the spirit of God the hearts of men and women who will thoughtfully evaluate the present need and make wise decisions to secure future blessing.
I want to tell you, first of all, I really just have two points I want to make. I want to talk about the importance of being people of insight. And I want to talk about the importance of being people of foresight.
I take those two themes from what we have read in 1 Chronicles about the men of Issachar. They were men of insight because they understood the times. They were conscious of the setting in which testimony was being lived.
They were not isolationists. They were separated men, no doubt. But they were men who carefully calculated the influence of the culture on the people of God in the day that they lived, men of insight.
But not only were they men of insight, they were men of foresight because they knew what Israel ought to do. And I would love to see a generation of men and women raised up for God who would be wise leaders, wise leaders in their homes.
I'm going to take a good long swipe at that in just a minute. Because leadership in spiritual things begins in the home. God doesn't care how big your Bible bag is. God doesn't care how many Jesus saved stickers you can plaster on your bumper.
God cares what you do behind the closed front door of your home with your wife and your children and your grandchildren. And so men of foresight who knew what ought to be done, they were men who wisely guided the people of God and positioned them for future blessing.
Let me talk about this idea of being men of insight. And I just have three little things that I want to think about because I want to talk about our thinking this morning. Because insight is really the idea of drawing certain conclusions as a result of what we see around us.
I want to talk about the importance of critical thinking and the importance of biblical thinking and the importance, last of all, of spiritual thinking. Let me touch on those briefly before I move to my idea about men of foresight.
I want to talk just for a minute about the importance of critical thinking. A couple of years ago in the Truth and Tidings magazine, brother Paul Glennie from Hamilton wrote one of the better articles that I have read because he wrote about the importance of Christians as critical thinkers.
What does it mean to be a critical thinker? Well, I have to tell you, first of all, it doesn't mean that we sit around thinking about how we can criticize other people. That's not what it means. Critical thinking is actually the careful examination of what we claim to believe and understanding the reasons why we believe that.
You say, well, brother Dan, that's an awfully tough thing to start out on a Saturday morning with. Couldn't you just ease us into something a little more simple? No, not at all. We need to be persuaded from the word of God that what we believe is right and to stake ourselves and our futures upon it.
Let me speak very directly to young people who are here today. I'm very glad that you've come to the conference in Garnevillo. I'm very appreciative of the older believers here. But let me say something to young Christians just now.
When I was a young man, there was a period in my life where I was richly blessed by people who gave me a lot of excellent advice. And because I was not old enough or spiritually mature enough, I simply did what they said.
I'm glad that the Lord did not, that he suppressed the rebelliousness that naturally is in me. And I'm glad that at least in some measure, I just did what I was told. I didn't necessarily know all the verses that were behind it.
I didn't know the experience or the godliness that was behind it. They just said it, and I did it. But I want to tell you that part of growing up, both secularly and spiritually, is learning to think for yourself.
When I was a little boy, my grandpa was this old, wise man, you know? One day he died, no problem, I've got my father, you know? Then one day he died. And you know what I found out? I found out that I better know what I believe and why I believe it.
And that those beliefs had better be anchored on something more than just the fact that my dad and my grandpa taught them to me. I want to encourage all of you today to turn your mind on for the glory of God.
God has not placed your brain at the top of your spinal column as a way of keeping your hat off your shoulder blades. God intends that your mind, like every other part of your body, is to be committed for the glory of God.
And I want to challenge you today. You know, there are students among us, and they can read a 500-page book on biology. Regrettably, there are some people who then think it's too hard to read a 15-page pamphlet on baptism.
May God help us to invest our minds in careful examination of our beliefs, what we believe and why we believe it. Brethren, we cannot be men of insight. We cannot be people who understand the times unless we are fully engaged with all the powers that God has given us.
But I want to talk very quickly about the importance not only of critical thinking, but I want to talk about the importance of biblical thinking. I was riding in the car the other day, and every once in a while when I'm sleepy, I listen to radio preachers.
Now, I hope that won't get me in a lot of trouble with everybody here, but some of them are good, some of them are really entertaining. And I heard a fellow the other day, and boy, he was really ripping.
And at the pinnacle of his teaching, he said, I know it's true, I feel it strongly in my heart. Well, good for him. I think what he needed was Gaviscon, okay? Because that is not an adequate basis. That is not sufficient authority if you're going to be a person of insight for God.
Brothers and sisters, we need more than emotion and fuzzy, ill-thought-out opinions. We need to base our thinking on the word of God. You say, Brother Dan, that's just old-fashioned preaching. You know, it's a lot easier to watch some video or listen to some MP3 by some famous preacher.
But brothers and sisters, listen, the foundation for the future will be men and women who ground themselves thoroughly in the word of God. Is there anybody here that knows too much about the Bible? Put up your hand.
Well, I didn't think so. You know, we're living in an age where there is error that is running rampant. I don't even go to Christian bookstores anymore because I get so furious, I'm afraid I'm going to say something intemperate to the little girl that works behind the counter.
Because after you wade through the Christian novels and all of the Christian music and all of the self-help books about how you can master the Bible in 15 minutes and have a better prayer life, you know, in a week and all of that sort of thing, now there's about three books in the back, some little study guides maybe about the Bible.
But, you know, we have things now being promoted in the Christian community, books like The Shack. I want to tell you something. If you have that in your house, burn it because it's blasphemy, absolute rank, outright blasphemy.
It is blasphemy against the person of God himself. It is blasphemy against God's way of salvation. It's blasphemy against everything that I hold dear. Get rid of it. But that is what masquerades as Christian teaching and Christian thought today.
Away with it. You and I need to stick our noses back into this book. Men and women of insight will be people who base their thinking in the word of God. I'm going to tell you that I personally believe that the greatest enemy that we have in assembly testimony today is biblical illiteracy.
Brothers and sisters, we need to read this book. And so, critical, careful, insightful thinking is required. Biblical thinking is absolutely necessary. Let me just talk for just one minute about spiritual thinking.
It's possible to somehow approach the Bible as just an academic book. Something that I can use as a weapon in a Bible reading to impress my brethren with the fact that I can spell Mephibosheth with my hands tied behind my back.
And I can manage to rip off a few details about the offerings. And I have my little pet theories about creation and prophecy and election. And to be honest with you, we probably impress ourselves and maybe a few foolish people around us who aren't smart enough to catch on.
But I'm going to tell you something, we're not fooling God. Men of insight are men who allow the spirit of God to apply the word of God in our own souls. And I believe that we need spiritual thinking.
Thinking that is yielded to the spirit of God. More than just the emotional liver shivers that seem to so permeate this charismatic world that we live in. I hope that your wisdom will come from the Bible and from the spirit of God.
You know, that's going to require that he is not grieved in my life. I think we all need to be careful about how we're living today. This modern information age that we live in has placed every sort of uncleanness at our fingertips.
And I'm afraid that many of us, even without knowing it, are being compromised by what we see and hear every day. Maybe you remember the story of Aristotle's fish. You ever hear that story? Somebody asked Aristotle if fish feel wet.
And he said, no, of course they don't. He said, they just live in it. And I'm afraid that many of us are failing to feel the loss of holiness. Because we live in a corrupt and unholy world. And I want to tell you that the Holy Spirit of God can be grieved by our careless thinking and our careless living.
May God help us to again, to establish holy barriers in our lives. So that an ungrieved spirit of God will guide our thinking, guide our calculations, guide our plans as we look to the future for him.
And so men of insight who understood the times, men who thought critically, men who thought biblically, men who thought spiritually. But I want to talk about this statement that we have read in 1 Chronicles chapter 12, that the men of Issachar were not only men who understood the times, but they were men who knew what ought to be done, what Israel ought to do.
And that forms really the framework of my second part of my message, because I want to speak about not only men of insight, but men of foresight. One of the things that I enjoy, this is a sort of perverse joy, but I live near a big city, as you know, the city of Detroit.
And people in Detroit have a unique ability, maybe they do in Des Moines and other places, I don't know. But they have some very clever names for churches. And one of the things that I've always done is I always like looking at the signboard and looking at the names of the churches that I drive by.
I think my all time favorite is in the state of Washington. There's actually a town in western Washington called Zilla, Washington. And believe it or not, this is absolutely true, there's a signboard out that says Church of God Zilla.
I think that's really clever. It's okay, you can laugh, we're Christians and we're happy. But Church of God Zilla, pretty good, huh? But the other day, I was driving in Michigan through a little town I had never been in before, didn't even know the town existed.
It was the town of Amble, Michigan. John, you ever hear of that? I'd never heard of it in my life. And I'm trying, it's about four houses and a church. And I thought, I ought to look at what the name of the church is in Amble, Michigan, and sure enough, it was the Amble Church.
And I laughed for about ten miles. You know what the word Amble means? It's just to sort of saunter aimlessly, you know? Without any real purpose, without any real plan, just kind of amble along. And I thought, there's a lesson from God for me in the Amble Church of Amble, Michigan.
Brothers and sisters, what is actually the character of the leadership of your family and your assembly? Are you merely ambling along, hoping that nothing will happen, like Hezekiah, to disturb your happiness?
Or is there purpose? And is there action to secure blessing for the future? You know, my wife does something in the winter time. For a couple of hours a day, she gives flu shots. Why does she, why does she give flu shots?
Well, it's very simple. Because people have two choices in life. You can be reactive, you can wait until you're sick, and go to the doctor and get mad at him because he can't make you feel better. Or you can go to Mrs. Schutt's flu shot clinic and get a shot that hopefully will prevent you from getting sick in the first place.
Listen, why don't we just take what we know so well in our secular lives and bring them over to our spiritual lives? There's great instruction. Because, brothers and sisters, a life that is merely reactive, a life where we simply amble on and then become distressed in emergencies.
Is certainly not the life that God intended for us. God intends a proactive, a prepared life. A life where positive actions have been taken for the glory of God. You know, I think we need to have personal foresight.
I'm just gonna say this, and if it offends you, you can take it as it comes. But we're not going to end up spiritual men and women watching Desperate Housewives or The View. We're not going to end up spiritual people gaining our philosophical insights from Dr. Phil or Oprah.
Brothers and sisters, you and I need to take positive steps in our own life. For our future blessing, we need deliberate living. Somebody once wrote that a life without a goal is like a body without a soul.
That's rather tart, but I like it. You and I need personal goals for godliness. Goals that are driven by the spirit of God. Goals that are guided by the word of God. And I like the words that Paul wrote to Timothy long ago, take heed to thyself and to the teaching.
Continue in them for in doing this you will both preserve yourself and those that hear thee. I wanna talk about family foresight for a minute. Because this is something that deeply concerns me. Your children will not raise themselves for God.
We have all of this liberal left wing, latte sipping, tree hugging nonsense that gets put out over the airwaves. It takes a village to raise a child and all that sort of hogwash. Let me just say something.
You know what children need today? They need moms and dads who love the Lord Jesus. And commit their homes as a haven for spiritual thinking and spiritual behavior. And who teach those truths to their children.
And hold high expectations for their future. You're not gonna have a strong family by just being your kid's friend. By seeing if you can Twitter as much as they do. Allowing to erase themselves while we live out our own adolescent fantasies.
And I'm sorry to say this, but there are major parental breakdowns taking place all around us. And when I use the words irresponsible and self-centered and childish, I'm not talking about kids, I'm talking about parents.
Brothers and sisters, we need to grow up. And we need to have foresight in raising our family. High ambitions. High aspirations. That they would be saved and that they would live for God. Back home in Stark Road, there's a beloved brother.
Brother John has heard him say this many times, I'm sure. It's just this. He said in the Bible, it's not just taking care of your children even. Because over and over again, the Bible talks about your children.
And your children's children. Mr. Valens loves to speak about the importance of godly direction. Not just in one generation or two generations. Brothers and sisters, you raise your children for God. You raise and organize your home with foresight.
And there will be blessing that will stretch to multiple generations. But I wanna just basically come to this last point, and this is where I intend to spend the balance of my time. Because if there is a need for personal foresight and family foresight, I believe that there is a desperate need today for assembly foresight as well.
And I realize that what I'm going to say next is going to be rather provocative. But we are not going to have a future if there is not active shepherding of the people of God. You know, I was talking to a man a while back, and he's a dear brother.
And what I say about him is not to be reflective of his whole life. And maybe what he said to me was just an unguarded thing. I've said many unguarded things in my life. But we were talking about an issue that I felt was a problem among particularly the young people in that assembly.
And this is what he said to me. He said, brother Dan, he said, don't worry about it. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. You know what the answer to that is? No, you won't, because there won't even be a bridge to cross.
If things are simply left to run without active insight and foresight on the part of the leadership of God's people. I'm not an elder in a local assembly, obviously. But I would hope that in every oversight, in every group of leaders over God's assembly, that there will be times when they look at each other and look to God.
And ask themselves this question. If the Lord Jesus does not come, where will this assembly be 25 years from now? See, the leadership of God's assembly is more than just counting the money and deciding who's gonna stand at the door.
The leadership of God's people, as in the family, involves an accountability to God to look to the future. And to prepare God's people for what's going to come. Brothers and sisters, that's why we need to have our eyes open and our ears open.
I actually read something the other day, it really struck me. It said, those who lead must read. Why did the man say that? Well, all he had in mind was this, you need to be conscious of what's coming down the road.
And you need to be preparing, by God's grace, for that eventuality. Somehow indulging in the escapism, that everything will be all right because the Lord is coming tomorrow, is foolishness when it comes to testimony.
Don't get me wrong, I love the thought of his appearing. And I hope he does come, not tomorrow, I hope he comes today. And there's nothing wrong with inspiring God's people with teaching about the Lord's coming, don't miss that point.
And I'll tell you that the Lord's coming also ought to stir us, because there's gonna be an account given for what has been done in the leadership and the guidance of God's assembly. So don't misunderstand my statement.
But just assuming that the Lord's coming is going to deliver us from a lack of planning is really a fool's paradise. I hope that all of us will understand what Paul was saying in Acts chapter 20. I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
There is care for the church of God that is required, and there are enemies that surround it. And that is why the apostle commended them to the word of his grace, that is able to build them up. You see, folks, I don't know if you'll all agree with this.
But I'm gonna tell you at least what my thinking is just at this moment. And if you wanna have a conversation about this after the meeting, I'd be glad to engage you in it. I don't think the devil is stupid.
And I don't think that assembly failure today is likely to be the result of some frontal assault from the outside. The far greater danger is carelessness and sleepiness and simply looking for pleasant, present comfort that will do more to destroy God's people in the 21st century than any attacks from any other source.
I try to make a personal habit of reading Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3 quite routinely in my personal devotion. And there's a reason for that. Because there is in those chapters God's insight and God's foresight as to the condition and the future of assembly testimony.
And I have to tell you, I sometimes have a hard time when I get to that last local assembly in Laodicea, because there was an assembly whose perception was so terribly skewed. You say I am rich, I have prospered, I need nothing.
Not realizing that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked. I haven't come here this morning to somehow just abuse the Lord's people or to criticize leadership. Those of you who know me know that nothing could be further from my mind.
But brothers and sisters, I worry about myself, and I worry about my family. And I worry about assembly testimony. That somehow you and I might convince ourselves that all is rosy, that the horizon is bright, and fail to take the necessary steps guided by the Spirit, informed by the word of God, that would bring about future blessing.
How would you end a message like this? Well, how about something rather colorful? There's two animals, I like to go to the zoo. I always feel sorry for the animals, because that must be an awful thing to be all locked up like that.
But I like looking at them. And there's two animals I thought about as I was speaking today, and if this doesn't charm the older folks, maybe some of the kids here will remember this, two animals I want to think about.
I want to think about the ostrich, and I want to think about a giraffe. Everybody got that? I think Hezekiah was an ostrich. And I know this is just an old wife's tale, but just bear with me for a second.
He just stuck his head in the sand. Good is the word that the Lord has spoken. As long as I can just roller skate off to heaven, fat, numb, and happy, everything will be well. Who cares about the future?
That's an ostrich. I like giraffes. They're cool. I always wonder how they swallow, you know? There's something about giraffes I like. You know what it is? They got their heads up. And they got the ears open, and they got their eyes wide.
And they're not looking down at the sand, they're looking out at the horizon. Why is that? For the preservation, for the future. What are you going to be, an ostrich or a giraffe? You say that's not very lofty preaching.
I know, but maybe you'll remember it. May God help us today not to be a Hezekiah, myopically, nearsightedly concerned with nothing more than present comfort. Rather to be men like Issachar, eyes wide open, mind fully engaged, scanning the horizon for danger and moving quickly to preserve what is dear.
That's what the Apostle Paul did. I love to study his life. I love to think about his approach to the assembly. Nothing accidental there. He was a man who carefully taught, a man who carefully built, a man who wisely led.
I don't know how much of this message will be for God's glory, but I hope you'll remember this. God is looking for men and women who will be people of insight, spiritual, biblical people. God is looking for men and women who will be people of foresight, doing what is required to secure future blessing, not only for ourselves, but for the children that come behind us.
You know what I would love? I'd love to live long enough to come back to Garnevillo in 20 years. Is that too ambitious? And I'd like to see some of these, I'd like to see some of these children that are just little babies now with pacifiers in their mouth, and I'd like to see them grown and going on for God.
That would really be something. That's what Garnevillo needs. That's what Stark Road needs, and that's what Barrington needs, and that's what all of our assemblies need. It needs wise leadership that prepares the future for the glory of God and for the good of testimony.
May God bless his word to all of our hearts.