Will of God sermon 5 of 5 8/7/11
Will of God sermon 5 of 5
08/07/08
For the past four Sundays I have been talking to you about the will of God. It is an important subject, for how you understand the will of God will shape not only your view of God in your personal life, but also your view of God’s role in the entire world. Without a good understanding of God’s will fear and anxiety can become commonplace in your life.
Some people see God as the big guy in the sky controlling all that you or anyone else does. It is like they are controlled by a force so powerful they cannot even think or do for themselves. They believe that we just think we have free will, but actually don’t for God has pre-ordained everything from beginning to end.
That understanding can leave a person depressed, to say the least, and leads to all kinds of questions concerning the goodness of God when bad things happen. Questions come up like, “Why does he continue to let evil exist?” “Why do the good seem to die young?” and “Why does he not control the weather when a hurricane or flood takes place with large loss of life?” The list could go on and on.
There are others who see God as a god who for the most part just lets the world do its own thing, except for an occasional tweaking. He really has no power over much of anything. This belief can lead to life in which a person believes most things happen by chance and that you are responsible for the good in your life, for God has little or no control over what happens. This belief will eventually lead to a life without hope. And to live a life without hope will either lead you to live a life of despair or on the opposite side lead you to live a life based on self-gratification; do it if it feels good. It also leads to a way of thinking, “Who are we to judge!” which means that everyone is god in themselves.
Neither one of those beliefs is correct, for that is not what God’s Word tells us about God. God according to his Word tells us that he is not is not a controlling God or a God who just lets the creation do its own thing. He is an active God who takes an active part in his creation. Those who believe this have a peaceful life even in the midst of the turmoil and evil of the world.
God created all things and after he created them we read in God’s Word that everything was very good. In his crowning achievement God created the first human from the dirt of the ground and breathing his breath into the man God gave him life and a soul. God took a personal interest in his human creation, as we can tell by the promise that he gave Adam and Eve after they had sinned. Paraphrasing the words he told them he said that he would send a Savior who would free them from the condemnation they deserved.
To achieve his original will, what I call his intentional will, for it was God’s intent from the beginning that his human creation would walk in fellowship with him, do good to each other, and live in harmony with his creation he now has to operate in a different manner. Under the circumstances of sin a price had to be paid, for their disobedience had not only affected them and all people since, but the creation itself which we are told in God’s Word groans for release from its bondage.
Jesus paid that price on the cross, for that is where God’s intentional will under the circumstances of a fallen world were painfully brought together, so ultimately his will will be complete. God used the evil in the world to kill evil and its harm to his creation. While evil is not entirely dead it will be at the end of time when God comes back to put all things including death under his feet. God will win in the end; that is his ultimate will. Once again God’s human creation will walk in perfect fellowship with him, do good toward each other and live in perfect harmony with God’s creation, as he first intended it to be done.
That is good news and we all praise God for what he has done and will do for us. The problem is that we still live as fallen people in a fallen world. We still want God to do things our way, for we, at least most of the time, we still do not trust God to care for our physical and spiritual needs.
If we truly trusted in God we would not even be struggling with trying to understand what the will of God is in our lives, for we know that, according to his Holy Word that he wants us to walk in fellowship with him, do good to others, and live in harmony with his creation.
Since that is the way we are, here are some ideas from God’s Word will be of help to you, so that you might better understand and trust in God’s will. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 Saint Paul tells us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” There is the will of God, as to how we are to live our lives.
When you learn about God’s will in the Word of God it will guide you through your conscience, that little voice inside each of us, that God has given us to warn us when we are not following his will. Learn the Word of God and then you will always be able to depend on your conscience to lead you in the direction, for it will speak to you with the authority of God’s Word and God’s Word is truth.
Another way to discern God’s will, one that I have used quite often in my life when I am not sure if it is God’s will or my will guiding me to do whatever it is that I am wanting to do, is to talk over what I think God is leading me to do with other Christians who believe that God’s Word reveals his will in their lives. It is amazing how many Christians, although it should not be amazing, have had good insight into the will of God in my life.
Even though there are probably other ways to discern God’s will in your life, they will all have one thing in common with the two that I just mentioned. They all will be built around God’s Word where God reveals his will for us. While it is not always easy to discern God’s will, for in our sinfulness when we are searching for the will of God many times we are really just wanting God to rubber stamp our will. Base your judgment on the Word of God, for it is there that we find the true will of God.
God’s original will that his human creation would walk in fellowship with him, do good toward others, and live in harmony with the rest of creation did not change under the circumstances of sin entering the world. His original will will ultimately be done as he has promised. There will be a time because of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf, that those who believe in him as their redeemer will once more walk in perfect fellowship with him, do good to others, and live in perfect harmony with creation in the new heaven and earth, where everything will once more be very good. God's intentional, circumstantial, and ultimate will spell out “Intensive Care for Us!” That is good news. Amen.
08/07/08
For the past four Sundays I have been talking to you about the will of God. It is an important subject, for how you understand the will of God will shape not only your view of God in your personal life, but also your view of God’s role in the entire world. Without a good understanding of God’s will fear and anxiety can become commonplace in your life.
Some people see God as the big guy in the sky controlling all that you or anyone else does. It is like they are controlled by a force so powerful they cannot even think or do for themselves. They believe that we just think we have free will, but actually don’t for God has pre-ordained everything from beginning to end.
That understanding can leave a person depressed, to say the least, and leads to all kinds of questions concerning the goodness of God when bad things happen. Questions come up like, “Why does he continue to let evil exist?” “Why do the good seem to die young?” and “Why does he not control the weather when a hurricane or flood takes place with large loss of life?” The list could go on and on.
There are others who see God as a god who for the most part just lets the world do its own thing, except for an occasional tweaking. He really has no power over much of anything. This belief can lead to life in which a person believes most things happen by chance and that you are responsible for the good in your life, for God has little or no control over what happens. This belief will eventually lead to a life without hope. And to live a life without hope will either lead you to live a life of despair or on the opposite side lead you to live a life based on self-gratification; do it if it feels good. It also leads to a way of thinking, “Who are we to judge!” which means that everyone is god in themselves.
Neither one of those beliefs is correct, for that is not what God’s Word tells us about God. God according to his Word tells us that he is not is not a controlling God or a God who just lets the creation do its own thing. He is an active God who takes an active part in his creation. Those who believe this have a peaceful life even in the midst of the turmoil and evil of the world.
God created all things and after he created them we read in God’s Word that everything was very good. In his crowning achievement God created the first human from the dirt of the ground and breathing his breath into the man God gave him life and a soul. God took a personal interest in his human creation, as we can tell by the promise that he gave Adam and Eve after they had sinned. Paraphrasing the words he told them he said that he would send a Savior who would free them from the condemnation they deserved.
To achieve his original will, what I call his intentional will, for it was God’s intent from the beginning that his human creation would walk in fellowship with him, do good to each other, and live in harmony with his creation he now has to operate in a different manner. Under the circumstances of sin a price had to be paid, for their disobedience had not only affected them and all people since, but the creation itself which we are told in God’s Word groans for release from its bondage.
Jesus paid that price on the cross, for that is where God’s intentional will under the circumstances of a fallen world were painfully brought together, so ultimately his will will be complete. God used the evil in the world to kill evil and its harm to his creation. While evil is not entirely dead it will be at the end of time when God comes back to put all things including death under his feet. God will win in the end; that is his ultimate will. Once again God’s human creation will walk in perfect fellowship with him, do good toward each other and live in perfect harmony with God’s creation, as he first intended it to be done.
That is good news and we all praise God for what he has done and will do for us. The problem is that we still live as fallen people in a fallen world. We still want God to do things our way, for we, at least most of the time, we still do not trust God to care for our physical and spiritual needs.
If we truly trusted in God we would not even be struggling with trying to understand what the will of God is in our lives, for we know that, according to his Holy Word that he wants us to walk in fellowship with him, do good to others, and live in harmony with his creation.
Since that is the way we are, here are some ideas from God’s Word will be of help to you, so that you might better understand and trust in God’s will. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 Saint Paul tells us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” There is the will of God, as to how we are to live our lives.
When you learn about God’s will in the Word of God it will guide you through your conscience, that little voice inside each of us, that God has given us to warn us when we are not following his will. Learn the Word of God and then you will always be able to depend on your conscience to lead you in the direction, for it will speak to you with the authority of God’s Word and God’s Word is truth.
Another way to discern God’s will, one that I have used quite often in my life when I am not sure if it is God’s will or my will guiding me to do whatever it is that I am wanting to do, is to talk over what I think God is leading me to do with other Christians who believe that God’s Word reveals his will in their lives. It is amazing how many Christians, although it should not be amazing, have had good insight into the will of God in my life.
Even though there are probably other ways to discern God’s will in your life, they will all have one thing in common with the two that I just mentioned. They all will be built around God’s Word where God reveals his will for us. While it is not always easy to discern God’s will, for in our sinfulness when we are searching for the will of God many times we are really just wanting God to rubber stamp our will. Base your judgment on the Word of God, for it is there that we find the true will of God.
God’s original will that his human creation would walk in fellowship with him, do good toward others, and live in harmony with the rest of creation did not change under the circumstances of sin entering the world. His original will will ultimately be done as he has promised. There will be a time because of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf, that those who believe in him as their redeemer will once more walk in perfect fellowship with him, do good to others, and live in perfect harmony with creation in the new heaven and earth, where everything will once more be very good. God's intentional, circumstantial, and ultimate will spell out “Intensive Care for Us!” That is good news. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 6:15 PM
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