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Paul is in route to Jerusalem, knowing in the
Spirit that bad things await him, even death. But he was determined to go.
Whether this was God’s will or not is in question, and there’s good people
on both sides of that argument. He is warned now for the 2nd
time that danger awaits, and his friends and co-laborers beg him not to go.
There is disagreement here, but there’s one
thing they all agree on: they want God’s will to be done. And that should
be the greatest desire of our hearts: to know and to do the will of God!
1. We need to seek
the will of God
God wants us to know His will even more than
we want to know it. He said, “seek and ye shall find” / “seek me early and
ye shall find me” / “draw nigh to Me and I will draw nigh to you.”
We need to seek God’s will in whom we
marry/where we go to college and what we do with our lives.
Joke—Kimberly is the least selfish person I
know on earth. Her folks overheard her praying one night before bed: “dear
Lord, I ask nothing for myself, but please, give my momma, a very handsome
son-in-law!”
Seriously, it’s not your life…you belong to
God…don’t settle for less than God’s best…seek His perfect will for your
life!
You don’t have the right to just decide what
you’re gonna be, and what you’re gonna do…seek His will! And we all should
seek His will for all decisions, big and small.
2. We need to
surrender to the will of God
Eph. 6:6
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but
as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
Jesus is the very epitome of this. He knew
God’s will for the end of His life, and in the garden of Gethsemane, He
surrendered to that which would not be pleasant for His human nature. “Not
my will, but Thine be done!” he prayed.
3. We need to stand
in the will of God
Col. 4:12
…that ye may stand perfect and complete
in all the will of God.
Once we know His will, we need to surrender
to it, and then stand firm in it, not drifting to the right or the left.
A definition:
The will of God is
exactly what we would choose for our lives if we had sense
enough to choose it.
God loves us more than we love ourselves. He
knows of greater possibilities and more success that we could achieve, if
only we’ll seek and follow His plan!
God is more qualified to plot a course for
our lives than we are. Just imagine the advantage you’d have if you hand
hand crafted a person to your own design, and knew exactly what lay ahead
for them throughout every moment of their future!
Just for fun--
Onomatopoeia: [a sentence spelled the
same forwards and backwards] A man, a plan,
a canal,
PanamaJ
Ill.—In the Panama Canal is a series of
locks, and if you want to cross there, you have to be able to accurately
navigate thru them. Each lock has markers which the captain must use. He
has to maneuver the ship so that the markers line up in a straight sequence.
God in His Word has given us several
markers that we can go by…and when they line up we have a better assurance
of what God’s will is for our lives!
The first marker:
·
Recognition
A. It’s Real
The first step is recognizing that God has a
will for your life. It’s a very real thing we see throughout the Bible.
Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths.
I can’t know all the details of God’s will
for your life…but I know 1 thing: God does have a plan for your life! It’s
a divine blueprint of you and your life, crafted by the One who designed the
universe w/out any plans!
What a powerful and captivating thought, that
God is so involved in something as small as little ole’ me!
Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
A sparrow is so insignificant, and yet God
has a plan for each of them! How much more w/ us?!
I wanted to know what a farthing is, so I
could tell you tonite--so, I looked it up: it’s 1/10th of a
drachma and 1/16th of a denarius! So…now you know! J
Evidently, it’s like a few cents at most in our economy.
God says, they are practically
worthless, and God has a plan for them [deductive reasoning…arguing from the
lesser to the greater] We are the highest of God’s creation…made in His
image…It’s unthinkable that God would not have a plan for our lives!
“His Eye is on the Sparrow,” and you can know
He’s watching you, too!
B. It can be Refused
God will not make you do His will. He has
given us a free will to choose. He didn’t force Adam and Eve to obey Him,
but gave them a choice, and it’s been that way ever since…why? Because God
wants people to choose to love, obey, and follow Him, not slaves that do it
by force!
Ill.—a rapist forces himself on someone,
because no one would choose to love him, in many cases.
You can choose to be saved or not. And once
you do, you have another choice: will you do the will of God?
A huge # of Christians today say they believe
in God, but they choose to live their life their own way. He’s ok for their
eternity, but not for their present! Some may even seem successful, making
money, or famous, or “happy”…but if they aren’t in God’s will they are a
failure!
The will of God is very real, it may be
refused, but…
C. It’s always Right
Romans 12:2
…that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Ill.—Sir Thomas Lipton, famous yacht racer.
He won many trophies, except the 1 he really wanted: The America’s Cup.
One day he was showing some friends all his trophies in his home, and said,
“I’d give them all away to get the 1 I didn’t get!”
Don’t wind up my age or middle aged
and be found saying, I’ve done a lot, but not what was really important.
[it’s never too late to turn around, by the way!]
Ill.—imagine a guy who likes to play the
violin…he turns on a CD of Beethoven’s 5th Sympony and begins to
play at the same time, but he’s playing Yankee Doodle. He can do that if he
wants, but there will be a real mess…big time discord in that house!
God has arranged a great symphony for
your life…don’t be found off in a corner playing Yankee Doodle…but pay
attention to the great Conductor and follow Him beat for beat!
God’s will is real, can be refused, but is
always right!
·
Resolution
You must resolve in advance that once you
know His will, you will do it. Don’t work “with a net”…God doesn’t work
that way!
Ill.—on Damascus road, this man Paul [then
Saul] asked God the 2 most important questions any of us can ask: “Who are
you Lord?” & “What do you want me to do?”
Ye are bought with a price, and ye are not
your own! If you’re saved then you are God’s…you’re God’s twice: you’re
God’s by virtue of creation and by virtue of redemption. He made you, you
rebelled became lost in sin, and He bought you back!
Ill.—don’t approach God’s will “cafeteria
style”—taking which parts you like and leaving what you don’t! Decide in
advance that you trust Him who is trustworthy.
God does not reveal His will to us so that we
may consider it! You’ll never know God’s will for your life
if you have this attitude. God reveals His will to those He knows will obey
it!
John 7:17
If any man will do his will, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Being willing comes first, before the
“doing.”
Why is this? I believe that sometimes if we
knew what God had ahead for us it would scare us…we wouldn’t be ready to
accept that He could really do such great things thru us.
Some people are afraid of God’s will…that
it’s like Alka-Seltzer: it’s good for you, but not too pleasant.
[He’ll call me to Africa, or make me marry
some ugly chick!]
ill.—imagine a loving father w/ a teenage
son. His son says, can we spend the whole day together Saturday? Do you
think that father would say, “ha ha ha…I’ve got him now, I’m gonna think of
everything he hates and just fill his day with it…he’s gonna pull weeds,
he’s gonna eat brussel sprouts, and clean the gutters and scrub toilets!”
No, a loving father says, “what a
privilege that my son wants to please me and spend time with me…the least I
can do is make it a wonderful experience, ‘cuz then, at the end of the day,
he’ll love me even more!”
Let me go on record this Christmas season:
Doing God’s will is “a wonderful life!”
Our God is not some evil personality/cosmic
killjoy/goal is to make you miserable…He loves you, and has a wonderful
plan, and wants you to know it…He’s not masking it mysteriously…if you want
to know it and are willing to do it [in advance], He’ll say, “I hear that
request and I hereby answer it…my will is:
______________________.”
If God’s will is for you to go
to Africa, then you’ll be happy with that…you’ll want to go there in a way
you may not want to at this moment, and you’d be happier there than in
America, and safer!
The safest place on earth is the
middle of God’s will!
Ill.—have you got to spend time w/ our
missionaries? They are so happy to be where they are, and hate having to
come back for furloughs!
One day a grandfather told his grandson, “I’m
leaving to run some errands, do you wanna come w/ me so we can spend some
time together?” He asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “If you want
to be with me, then it doesn’t matter!”
“God says, will you surrender to my will?”
“Well, what is it?” “It doesn’t matter!”
Recognize God has a will for you, resolve
that you will do it…
·
Revelation
When we walk in what light we’ve been given,
God gives us more light. Some people don’t know God’s will for their future
because they’re not doing God’s will right now! Why should He reveal his
will about tomorrow if you’re not obeying Him today? He said it, “if you’re
faithful in least then you’ll be faithful in much!”
A statement:
“The way to know God’s will tomorrow
is to do His will today!”
Ill.—headlights on a car: they only shine a
little ways, but guess what, once you travel that far, they reveal further
down the road for you!
God doesn’t just lay it all out for
us…the “steps” of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
God called me to be a pastor, but for years
all He showed me to do was run a bus route, work in Jr. Church, etc., and
then, when I was ready, He took me to the next level, and the next!
I know a little about God’s will for you.
That you pray and read your Bible every day, and be faithful to Him and your
church, and be honest and hard working, etc. And I also know 1 more
thing…if you don’t, you won’t find out what else He had in store for you!
If you don’t do the basics of His will, what
makes you think He’ll send a smoking plane to write His will out for you
across the sky?!
Another statement:
“God is more concerned about your
character than your career”
You cannot know God’s personal will
for your life if you disregard God’s moral will for your life.
Being right with God comes before being
“right in the middle of His will”.
If you have unconfessed sin in your life and
you pray for God’s will and direction, it’s a mockery!
Ill.—a couple fornicating, praying for God to
show them His will.
1 Thes. 4:3
For this is the will of God, even your
sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
Sin in the life cuts the phone line to
heaven.
Psalm 66:18
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the
Lord will not hear me:
Pray a prayer like this: “Lord, I want to
know and do your will…nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else!”
Understanding God’s
Will
Acts 21:10-14
1. We need to s______ the will
of God
2. We need to s________________
to the will of GodEph. 6:6
3. We need to s________ in the
will of God Col. 4:12
Definition: The will of God is e_____________ what we would choose for our lives if we
had s________ enough to choose it.
Just for fun-- Onomatopoeia: A man,
a plan, a canal, Panama
·Recognition
A. It’s R______
Psalm 37:23, Proverbs 3:6, Matthew 10:29
B. It can be R____________
C. It’s always R________Romans 12:2
·Resolution
God does not reveal His will to us so
that we may c______________ it! John 7:17
·Revelation
“The way to know God’s will
t______________ is to do His will t________”
“God is more concerned about your c________________ than your c__________”
1 Thes. 4:3, Psalm 66:18
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All Sermons and Slideshow Presentations Copyright Jerry
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