The Will of God

Get to know me:

Introduction:

This weekend is going to be jam packed with some great teachings from some really awesome guys!

The theme of this years winter camp is: Deeper

As Pastors, Youth Pastors and Youth Leaders our hearts desire is for each of you to dive deeper into God’s Word and to know Him in a deeper way too.

Jeremiah 17:7–8 NKJV

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

My study this evening is to set the foundation for the rest of the weekend. And this weekend is going to be killer:

God’s immutability and faithfulness– Ivan Amargo

God’s sovereignty– Joesph Strahlend

God’s holiness and goodness– Marcus Marshall

God’s love and grace– David Perez

You guys are in for a real treat. You get to study some of the attributes and glorious truths of God. I cannot help but get excited about theology (the study of God) because there are incredible implications that change my life when I rightly understand God and who He is, and what His attributes are!

The fact that God is never changing… that what and who we see in the OT is true throughout the NT as well. And that this God that is never changing is also always faithful.

Psalm 36:5 NKJV

5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

That the God who is seated on the throne is absolutely in control. He is sovereign!

Revelation 4:2–3 NKJV

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

Revelation 4:5 NKJV

5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Psalm 115:3 NKJV

3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

God is so good…and also so holy:

Deuteronomy 32:4 NKJV

4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Exodus 34:6–8 NKJV

6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

From God’s Word we understand that God is love! And He has given us thee best thing we could ever ask for and that is salvation, through His Son Jesus Christ!

This evening my job is to set the ground work for the rest of the weekend. Buckle up here we go!

If you have have been attending church for any amount of time you have heard about or have been taught that you and I are suppose to pursue the will of God rather then our own will. After all God has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Before we can dive into these, again, wonderful truths of God and who He is, we need to know what God’s will is for us. One aspect of God’s will for you is to know Him in a deeper sense…

[7th & 8th grade example of being infatuated] We need to be infatuated with God because He is truly the greatest thing (period).

So my goal tonight is to help us understand the will of God in our lives.

Introduction:

If you really want to have a successful life, then you must discover what God want you to accomplish then go and do that for the rest of your life.

I’m not talking about going out and making all sorts of money so you can buy what you want, but to live a life in complete obedience to the perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

God’s will, God’s plan, & God’s purpose:

These three things might seem similar but are unique in the life of a Christian. Let me explain:

God’s will:

Is all about who you are in Christ, and this applies to every single one of us. The will of God deals with our identity in Christ. And it is God’s will that every Christian be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ!

Romans 8:29 NKJV

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God’s plan:

God’s plan deals with what you do in Christ. And this isn’t always the same for everybody. Because you are the only one who is going to live your life, that means you have unique circumstances that God will use to help you grow in dependance upon Him.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

God is going to use all the good things, bad things, and the ugly things in your life to lead you to accomplish the will of God. Which is what?

To know our identity in Christ and to be conformed to His image!

God’s purpose:

The purpose of God answers the age long question of, “What is my purpose?” God created you to glorify Him! One of the coolest passages of Scripture speaking to worshipping God is Revelation 4 and 5 we have spent a couple months on these two chapters as a church.

Revelation 4:8 NKJV

8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Family, heaven is going to be so wild and wonderful! We get to spend all of eternity worshipping our creator. How wonderful is that! Man it should get you floored!

What is God’s will for you life?

It is God’s will for us to be saved!

Anyone who is not saved is not in the will of God.

The Gospel summed up in 5 points:

Each and every one of us are accountable to God. As a painter owns their creation God owns us and we are accountable to Him, as His creation.

Genesis 1:1 NKJV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

There is some seriously bad news! Each and every one of us have rebelled against God and have sinned against Him.

Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is a very serious offence, each of us has transgressed. Each and every single one of us deserves to the wrath of God poured out upon us. And this wrath will not show any partiality and will not relent forever. No one is going to find themselves in hell then the lake of fire and think to themselves, how did I end up here under the righteous wrath of God? Judgement is real and it will come to pass.

The Good New (Gospel) is that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life free from sin. Died on the cross for you… but didn’t stay dead. He rose from the dead three days later. and would redeem those who would place their hope and faith in Him. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that any who would call upon the name of the Lord (Jesus Christ) will be saved.

Romans 10:9 NKJV

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Young person hear me… You must believe and confess that Jesus is Lord to be saved. It is not a prayer that saves you but the complete dependence upon Jesus Christ! You and I are unable to save ourselves! We need a Savior! And His name is Jesus the Messiah.

But wait there’s more… Those who are truly saved there is so much more we are given then escape from the judgment of God. We get to spend all of eternity with God enjoying Him and worshipping Him as we are created to do! We have a future with Jesus.

So what are you going to do with this information?

This is a decision that cannot be made in haste or in flippantly. Chose this day who you are going to serve.

[Stand]

Do you believe:

Jesus died for you?

Jesus is Lord?

Jesus was raised from the dead?

Do you repent, this means so much more than just being sorry but to turn from your sin?

(we are to hold these individuals accountable)

[pray]

And for you who have made this decision but have backslidden and started to live for yourself again. Stop and get right with God. So that you can truly enjoy and glean from the rest of our time here at camp. Why wait?

[Stand]

Do you repent?

Are you willing to submit to Jesus and stop doing things your way and to start doing it God’s?

(We are to hold these individuals accountable)

[pray]

God’s will for us is to be a soul winners:

It is Our responsibility to share the Gospel with the lost so that they might be saved too.

Mark 16:15 NKJV

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

God’s will for you is to be sanctified:

We are to live a life that is separated unto God in holiness.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 NKJV

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

God’s will for you is to be submitted:

We are to be submitted to God and His Word. For there is nothing greater or worthy of our submission then to God our Father!

James 4:7 NKJV

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

John 14:15 NKJV

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21 NKJV

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

God’s will for you is to be Spirit filled:

Being filled with the Spirit of God allows us to make the most of the limited time we have here on earth to serve Him as we continue to discover and understand the will of God.

Ephesians 5:15–18 NKJV

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

God’s will for you is for you to serve:

Each of us are to serve God in all that we do. From attending and applying ourselves in school to the jobs we work and even the different ministry God calls us too.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Two that we don’t have time to cover: God’s will for you is to show gratitude and God’s will for you is to suffer.

As a Christian we are called to be thankful in every area of our lives, and yes as a believer we will experience suffering if we are devoted to Jesus Christ.

Application:

We can know the will of God, because He has given us the manual that will reveal it to us. So we need to dive into God’s Word daily feasting on it every day. Praying that God would show us how to apply what we are reading to our lives!

Read our Bibles, study, memorize, share what we are learning with others, and apply it to our lives.

Fellowship

This weekend you get to study some truly deep Biblical truths. Make sure you bring you Bibles and a notepad so you can take good notes.

Numbers 6:24–26 NKJV

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’