BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT AND THEN GO AHEAD!

LUKE 2:52

Pastor Rick Jackson

In 1820 a new congressman stood before the House and said, "Mr. Speaker: The Gentleman from Massachusetts talks about summing up the merits of the question, but I'll sum up my own."

"In one word, I'm a screamer. I've got the roughest racing horse, the prettiest sister, the surest rifle and the ugliest dog in the District! My father can whip any man in Tennessee, and I can whip my father. I can give any man on this floor two hours start and outspeak him!

"I can run faster, dive deeper, stay under longer, and come up drier than any man this side of the big swamp. I can outgrin a panther and outstare a flash of lightning, tote a steamboat on my back and play at rough and tumble with a lion, with a kick now and then from a zebra!"

 

Thus, congress heard the first speech from the new representative from Tennessee, David Crockett. As you study the life of Davy Crockett you learn he had a life motto, “BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT, AND THEN GO AHEAD!” He applied this to all areas of his life. In shooting he said, "Be sure you're right and then go ahead and pull the trigger!" In marriage, in fighting, and even in politics: "If I'm the only member of the house to vote against this bill--- yes, if I'm the only man in the whole country against it, I'll still vote against it! It'll be a matter of rejoicing to me till the day I die that I've voted as I intend."

I don't know if Davy came up with his motto from the Scriptures, but the plain truth is, it is Scriptural! Eph. 5:10 says, "Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord!" Now using the pattern of our Lord from Luke 2:52 let's see how it might work.

 

I. BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT MENTALLY, AND THEN GO AHEAD! [Phil. 2:5]

- Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

1. God is the Author of Truth [Pr. 1:7, Jn. 14:6, 17:17; Rm. 3:4]

-The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

-Jesus saith unto him, I am the way , the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

-Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

-yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;

2. Guard your Mind with Truth [Phil. 4:8, Col. 2:8, 2 Cor. 10:5]

-Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

-Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

-Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

II. BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT PHYSICALLY, AND THEN GO AHEAD!

1. God is Greater than the Physical [Mt. 6:31-33, 1 Tm. 4:8]

-Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

-For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

2. God has Guidelines for the Physical [1 Cor. 6:18-20]

-Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

 

III. BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT SPIRITUALLY, AND THEN GO AHEAD!

1. God has revealed Himself in the Inscripturated Word [Josh. 1:8, 2 Pt.1:21]

-This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

- For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2. God has revealed Himself as the Incarnate Word [Jn. 1:1-4, 9-14, 1 Tm. 3:16]

-In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

-That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

-And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

 

IV. BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT SOCIALLY, AND THEN GO AHEAD!

1. Watch your Crowd [Ps. 1:1, 1 Co. 5:9-11]

-Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

-I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat

2. Watch your Character [Gal. 5:16-26, 6:7-10]