Formosa Baptist Church
2026-05-13 Senior Night
  • Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me
  • I Speak Jesus
  • Intro: Tonight, as you guys prepare to embark on the next phase of your life’s journey, I want to speak a little bit of wisdom into your lives. Now, everything I’m going to say tonight applies to all of us—not just to the graduates. But, you guys are about to enter a season of life unlike any that you’ve experienced before.
    Up until now, you’ve had parents and loved ones to help guide you and, in many cases, make decisions for you. But now, you’re setting out on your own. The decisions will come fast—what to major in, whether or not to join certain organizations, what career path you’re going to prepare for, whom to date and/or marry.
    From this point on, the decisions and forks in the road will keep coming, and some of them will have weighty consequences.
    This morning, as the sovereignty of God would have it, I read Numbers chapter 9, and it struck me how timely it was for this occasion.
    Numbers 9:15–23 ESV
    15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
    The first piece of wisdom I want to encourage you with is this:

    Follow the Lord’s Lead

    When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, they were completely dependent upon God’s leading to know when to stay and when to set out. Sometimes they stayed many days or weeks, sometimes they made camp only for the night and set out again the next morning.
    In college you will be surrounded by many people who will give no thought to the question, “What would the Lord have me to do in this situation?” They will not care, because they are not followers of the Lord.
    But if you are a follower of Christ, then you must care.
    Others may march to the beat of their own drum, but you cannot. You must not.
    When God says “stay,” you must stay. When he says “go,” you must go. A soldier does not plot his own course—he follows his commander.
    At times this will be difficult. Everything in you may scream “GO!” and yet the Lord may whisper, “Stay.” Or, you may be very comfortable staying, and yet the Lord will say, “Go.” The Christian walk is one of dependence upon God.
    Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV
    5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
    Secondly, understand that...

    The Pillar of Cloud is Within You.

    The Pillar of cloud and fire was the visible manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit among his people.
    As you might have noticed, God no longer guides us with clouds and fire. And, sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where discerning God’s will is not so easy. Maybe there are two good options in front of us.
    Again, many will not give a second thought to what God wants from them. But that isn’t an option for a follower of Christ.
    In times like this, you may wish that he did lead us with a pillar of cloud or fire—that would make matters much easier, we might think!
    But notice that in this passage—this passage describing God’s dealings with his people under the Old Covenant—God did not give guidance on every decision for every person, but only for the people as a whole on one particular decision—when and where to camp next.
    But, in the New Covenant, you do not follow a cloud, but the internal guidance of the Spirit. He is there with you in every decision that you make.
    So, while following the Spirit in the New Covenant may not be as simple as it was back then, it is far better and far more exhaustive. If you are depending upon the Spirit’s lead, he will open your eyes to deeper truths about Him in his Word. He will help you hold your tongue when you are angry. He will prompt you to serve and demonstrate love to others. He will guide you to share the gospel with your fellow students.
    If you don’t believe that this way of the Holy Spirit’s leading is better, then just take the disciples as an example. Before Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, they had Jesus. But Jesus told them that he had to go away so that the Spirit could come. The physical manifestation of God with his people was departing and being replaced by the Spiritual manifestation of God IN his people.
    John 16:7 ESV
    7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
    John 16:13 ESV
    13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
    Now, you might think that the physical presence of Jesus would be better than the internal guidance of the Holy Spirit that we can’t often hear audibly. That’s what his disciples thought, too.
    And yet, before his ascension, the disciples often blurted out things they shouldn’t have, rarely understood Jesus’ teachings, and in general were less effective ministers than they were after he left and the Holy Spirit came.
    But when the Spirit descended upon the Apostles in Acts 2 (as little pillars of fire, by the way!) everything changed.
    Acts 2:2–4 ESV
    2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
    From that point on, they were filled with courage and boldness and began to follow the Lord wholeheartedly.
    You don’t need an audible voice from God to make good, godly decisions. You need wisdom and dependence upon the Holy Spirit within you.
    So, how do you get wisdom and how do you discern the voice of the Holy Spirit amongst all the noise and all the other voices?

    Discernment and Wisdom are given by the Spirit through his Word.

    Do you want to hear the voice of God? Then read it—it’s right here! These are the very words of God.
    As we read his Word, we begin to learn what his voice sounds like, what kinds of things God desires from us and for us.
    As we read his Word, our sinful desires and motives are exposed and constantly brought into conformity to the image of Christ.
    Romans 12:1–2 ESV
    1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
    The Word of God trains our power of discernment.
    Hebrews 5:13–14 ESV
    13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
    A lot of people want the magic bullet for figuring out God’s will, but there isn’t one. It just comes through a lot of practice.
    Both of you are very skilled in your disciplines. Brenden, you’re an excellent basketball player; you can jump and in a split second your brain calculates the distance from you to the goal, the height you need to shoot the ball to get it over the blocker’s hands, the precise power needed, the aim point, the timing, and everything else necessary to make that shot.
    And Rhett, you’re an excellent musician; your fingers fly over the instrument while your brain processes the notes and rhythms on the page effortlessly and your mouth makes micro adjustments to your embouchure, and your lungs provide just the right amount of air to get the right sound and volume.
    How do both of you do all of that? Practice. Constant practice with your instrument and your band, with your ball and your team.
    Those who don’t make the sacrifices to spend time honing their art will never be very good at it.
    Many people want the benefits of a Spirit-filled life. They want the fruit of the Spirit:
    Galatians 5:22–23 ESV
    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control...
    But, they don’t spend time with the Spirit. They don’t want to sacrifice the flesh. But a life filled with the Spirit’s fruit comes through sacrifice and practice:
    Galatians 5:24–25 ESV
    24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
    There are no shortcuts. There are no magic bullets. No quick fix, no lots to cast, no cloud to observe, no magic eight ball approach. The only way to discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit for a New Testament believer is to be daily transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. Only then can we know what that good and perfect acceptable will of God is.
    A Spirit-filled life requires daily depending upon the Spirit through his Word and in prayer. It requires practicing with your team (the Church). It requires sacrifice.
    So, as you guys embark on this next phase of your journey, keep Christ at the center of your lives. Marinate in his Word and spend time with his people, and in time you will find yourself in lock-step with the Holy Spirit.
    Prayer

      • Numbers 9:15–23ESV

      • Proverbs 3:5–6ESV

      • John 16:7ESV

      • John 16:13ESV

      • Acts 2:2–4ESV

      • Romans 12:1–2ESV

      • Hebrews 5:13–14ESV

      • Galatians 5:22–23ESV

      • Galatians 5:24–25ESV

  • Jesus At The Center
Formosa Baptist Church
jason_hill@formosabaptist.com
https://www.formosabaptist.com/
9 members