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Return to Discerning the Will of God Series Ephesians
5:17 "The Will of God and the
Word of God"[1]
Series: “Discerning the
Will of God”—part 1[2] Guide
me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land; I
am weak, but Thou art mighty; Hold me with Thy powerful hand; Bread
of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more, feed
me till I want no more.
Those are the words of William Williams, in his classic hymn "Guide
Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." What
a great truth! We serve a God who
guides us in life. Joseph Gilmore
put it this way: He
leadeth me, O blessed thought! O
words with heavenly comfort fraught! Whate'er
I do, wher-e'er I be, Still
'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Fanny Crosby penned these words, “All the way my Savior leads me, what
have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, who thru life has been my
guide?”
We serve a God who guides us, who leads us.
But the question is, how does He do it?
How does God guide and lead us? How
do you find the will of God?
John MacArthur observes (6) that to some people God is like a cosmic Easter
bunny who has stashed his will away, like Easter eggs, out of sight.
It's up to us to run through life looking for it, and all the while God
is up there saying, "You're getting warmer!"
I want you to think about some relevant questions with me:
How do you find the will of God? If
we have to find it, does that mean it's lost?
How does God reveal His will? Does
God have more than one will? Does
God's will ever change? Once I get
OUT of God's will, can I get back IN? What
role does the Word of God have in revealing the Will of God?
Why does discovering God's will seem so easy for some people, and not for
others?
Have you ever asked those questions?
A lot of people have. A lot
of people have asked ME questions like those.
With that in mind, tonight we are going to start a new series entitled,
“Discerning the Will of God.” The
Lord willing, we’ll take three weeks to explore what the Scriptures teach
about this subject (more later, perhaps). Overview
of Potential Questions to be addressed in the Series: "The
Will of God and the Word of God" Ephesians 5:17 "How
to Find the Will of God" Romans
12:1-2 "Is
There a Center to God's Will?" Romans 15:32 "The
Value of Doing the Will of God" I John 2:17 "The
Work of the Spirit and the Will of God" Romans 8:27 "The
Place of Prayer in the Will of God" Colossians 4:12 Our
Goal: To
learn how to discern God's Will in decision-making Other
Resources: "Decision
Making and the Will of God" Gary Friesen "Found:
God's Will" John MacArthur "Finding
God's Will" J. I. Packer "Right
Choices" (RBP Sunday School elective) James Grier "Decision
Making By the Book" Haddon Robinson
Are you in the will of God tonight? Do
you know for sure you are? Did you
realize that we are commanded to know God's will?
Turn to Eph 5:17. 5:17
"Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord
is."
The will of God is mandatory for the child of God.
Mk
3:35 "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and
my sister, and mother." Rom
12:2 "And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed...will of
God." I
Jn 2:17 "And the world passes away...but he that does the will of God
abides forever."
Sounds like knowing the will of God is pretty important!
How can we understand the will of God?
Main
Idea: Tonight we're going to see
that the Will of God is revealed in the Word of God.
Perhaps you’re thinking, "What are you saying?
Do you mean I can look in the Bible and find whether to buy a Chevy or a
Ford? Am I supposed to hunt for a
verse to tell me whether God wants me to take the job offer or to stay
put?"
Key: The will of God is
always consistent with the Word of God.
This is foundational. Yet so
often overlooked by Christians. If
we are going to learn to understand the will of God we need to grasp some basic
truths: Outline: I.
The God of the Bible is a Revealing God.
A. We serve a God who does
not change.
B. We serve a God who has
revealed His Character and His Will. (Heb 1:1-3)
1. He revealed Himself
through His Word (1).
2. He revealed Himself
through His Son (2). II.
The God of the Bible has revealed His Will in His Word.
A. God revealed His Will to
Adam in Genesis 1-2.
B. God revealed His Will to
1. Perpetually Binding
Commands (The Ten Commands)
2. Temporary Binding Commands
(Dietary & Ceremonial laws)
C. God revealed His Will to
Disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.
D. God related His Will for
the Church in the Epistles.
Example: I Thes 4:3 I.
The God of the Bible is a Revealing God.
A. We serve a God who does
not change.
Mal 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I change not."
God never changes. That is
important. His character remains the
same forever. And since He is
unchanging, we can count on Him. We
can count on what He says.
B. We serve a God who has
revealed His Character and His Will. (Heb 1:1-3)
It's incredible when you stop and think about it.
The awesome God who created the heavens and the earth, the All-wise God
who fashioned us to be His image-bearer, that King of the Universe is a
revealing God. He did not leave us
in the dark. He revealed His
character and His will to us.
How did He do it? Turn to
Hebrews 1.
1. He revealed Himself
through His Word (1).
V 1 "God...spoke in time past by the prophets."
The prophets. God spoke to
the world through OT prophets like Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, and Malachi.
Thus saith the Lord. But the
climax of His revelation came when?
2. He revealed Himself
through His Son (2).
V 2 "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son..."
He has SPOKEN to us by His Son. There
it is. God spoke to the world,
through the prophets, and through His Son. He
spoke. Past tense.
Does God still speak today? Special
revelation has ceased. God is not
revealing Himself in special revelation in our day.
He has already given us everything we need for guidance in life.
Where? In His written Word,
the Old and New Testaments.
II Pet 1:3
Heb 2:1-4
You say, "I don't get it. What
does this talk about special revelation have to do with decision making?"
Good question!
Here's the connection. When
you're facing a decision and you want God's guidance, how do you find it?
How can you find out what God wants you to do?
Should you look for a sign? Should
you listen for a voice?
How does God speak to us today?
Think about it: James Grier
(25), "God is not now revealing Himself in special revelation.
With the completion of the NT canon, special revelation closed.
Whatever demands we make on God to determine His will, we cannot expect
Him to reveal His will to us in a direct and immediate way.
As we try to understand His will, we may experience a certain feeling, a
burden or an inclination, but this is not a mode of special revelation.
We are dependent on Scripture, for Scripture alone teaches us what God
wants us to do."
Objection: "Wait a
minute. What about Gideon?
He faced a decision so he put out a fleece.
That's the way God directed Gideon to find His will.
What do you say about that?"
When did Gideon live? Gideon
lived when special revelation was OPEN. When
Gideon put out the fleece, he did not have the completed Scriptures.
We do. II.
The God of the Bible has revealed His Will in His Word.
What do we mean when we say that God has revealed His will in His Word?
Do we mean that He reveals whether to buy a blue car or a red one?
No. God's Word is like a
grid. Through that grid we pour
every decision. God reveals His
moral will in His Word.
A. God revealed His Will
to Adam in Genesis 1-2.
God gave Adam several commands. Before
Adam sinned, God revealed His moral will for Adam.
For example:
--He told Adam to develop the earth (1:28).
What guidance does this give us when it comes to decisions affecting the
environment?
--God told Adam to procreate (1:28).
Do you think this moral command has anything to say to a couple that
makes the decision not to have children because children would interfere with
their career?
--God told Adam that marriage was permanent (2:23-24).
Do you think this admonition would apply to couples today contemplating
divorce?
Remember God does not change. He
gave Adam these commands BEFORE sin entered the world.
God also gave Adam one negative moral command.
What was it? 2:17 "But
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil..."
Did Adam obey God's moral will? No.
Centuries later, God formed a nation for Himself.
B. God revealed His Will
to
Why did God give
He gave them the Law to reveal His character to them.
And in giving the Law, God showed His people how He expected them to
live. His Law was to govern their
conduct.
Key Distinction: The Law
included 2 kinds of commands...
1. Perpetually Binding
Commands (The Ten Commands)
See: Ex 20:1-17 The
first four commands have to do with a person's relationship with God (No other
gods. No carved images.
No swearing. Keep the
sabbath). The other six have to do
with a person's responsibilities in society (Honor parents.
No murder. No adultery.
No stealing. No false
witness. No coveting.).
Think of the commands like a fence. God
said, "These commands are the boundry of My covenant with you.
Stay within that fence and you'll experience Life.
Go beyond the fence and you'll experience Death.
Obey My commands, and you'll live. Disobey
My commands, and you'll die."
The 10 Commands reveal God's Moral will.
They tell us how to relate to God, and how to relate to other people.
God gave
2. Temporary Binding Commands
(Dietary & Ceremonial laws) Ex
23:4 "If you meet your enemies ox...take it back to him." Ex
23:10 "Six years sow thy land...but the seventh year let it rest." Ex
23:17 "Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the
Lord."
Are we to keep these commands? No.
These were temporary binding commands.
They could be kept only by the nation of
So part of God's Law given to
C. God revealed His Will
to Disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus applied God's Moral Law to His disciples in Mt 5-7.
In fact, He broadened the Law to include not only the outward act, but
also the inward intention. 5:21-22
"Thou shalt not kill...But I say, Don't be angry with your brother w/o
cause." 5:27-28
"Don't commit adultery...But I say, Don't lust."
What's Jesus' point? It's
always God's will for us to obey God's revealed Word.
That never changes. It's
never right to violate God's revealed commands when making a decision.
D. God related His Will
for the Church in the Epistles.
The epistles are those letters written to specific local churches by
apostles like Paul, John, and Peter. Do
you know what we find in the epistles?
The epistles relate God's moral will to followers of Christ in local
churches. The epistles tell us that
we have a moral obligation to honor God with our lives.
We are to love God, and to love one another.
In fact...
Rom 13:8 tells us, "He that loves another has fulfilled the
law."
Rom 13:10, "Love is the fulfilling of the law."
Love doesn't cancel God's Law. Love
fulfills God's Law.
Let's look at one specific example.
Eg--I Thes 4:3 I
Th 4:3 "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye
should abstain from fornication."
Notice that. This IS the will
of God. The will of God is always
consistent with the Word of God. Fornication
has always been, and will always be, a violation of God's moral law.
Since that is true, fornication will always be out of God's Will for the
child of God.
Here's the point. God's Will
for us is always consistent with God's Word.
You say, "Sounds pretty basic. Why
are you spending so much time on it?" Because
though it's basic, I'm amazed at how often people who call themselves
Bible-believing Christians violate this basic when it comes to decision-making.
Suppose a friend comes to you and says, "Pete, I just don't love my
wife any more. We're not compatible.
But I've found someone else that I really love.
I know God doesn't want me to be miserable.
I've prayed about it. God
made it clear to me that it's His will for me to divorce my wife, and marry this
other person. What do you
think?"
How would you respond? With a
few questions.
1. Does God ever change His
mind or contradict Himself? No.
2. Didn't God already reveal
His Will in the Bible, and tell us that marriage is permanent, till death do us
part? Yes.
3. Does God say anywhere in
the Bible that divorce is permissible on the grounds of "not being compatible."
No.
4. If God doesn't permit
divorce on those grounds, and if God does make it clear that marriage is
"till death do us part," how could it be God's will that you chuck
your wife for this other person?
Response: "Well, I just
don't feel anything towards her anymore."
Are we supposed to base our decisions on what we FEEL or on what we KNOW
to be true?
Suppose a friend comes to you and says, "Hey, I hear you just bought
Steve Green's recent cassette tape. Mind
if I borrow it and make a copy so I can listen to it in my car?"
You've got a decision to make. What
is God's will for you in that situation?
Will God's will ever contradict God's Word?
No.
Does God's Word talk about cassette tapes?
No.
Does God's Word talk about civil laws?
Yes.
What does God's Word say about civil laws? Rom
13:1 "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers (gov't). I
Pt 2:13 "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's
sake..."
Are there any civil laws that apply in this situation?
Copy write laws.
How do we determine the will of God when there are no direct statements
in Scripture? We'll begin to work on
that next time. |