Discerning God's Will

INTRODUCTION

This past week I posted on my Facebook page requesting prayer for our church

I included in that post that we may be closing our doors

I also shared that with you because I was told for the first time in 7 years that if we couldn’t meet our August bills, we would have to close because we are out of money

After that post, I heard from friends and pastors stating they would pray for us

Several contacted me and prayed with me over the phone

One came and visited me and prayed with me and Theresa and told us “God is not through with you”

For 7 years I have sought to do the will of God here at Eastport

I have sought to teach you verse by verse the Word of God

And today is no different

And though some may think we may have to close, we all should be saying “God is not done with us!”

How can we know that?

How can we know for sure what God’s will is?

We have to always look at the Word of God

We have to see what it says regarding God’s will

Then we have to do it with all our heart

And yes we must also examine everything carefully and ask ourselves are we doing what God’s says?

Are we experiencing something because we’re not doing what God says?

The work of Christ church belongs to all His saints

Ephesians 4:11-12, “11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”

That’s the work of gifted men Christ has placed over His church to equip you for the work of the ministry

1 Corinthians 15:58, “58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

What is it that we’re to do with all our heart that is God’s will?

I would like to answer that in 7 ways:

First...

LESSON

I. We are to Be Holy

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7, “1 Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.”

1 Peter 1:15-16, “15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

1 Peter 2:1, “1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,”

The Golden Treasury of Puritan Quotations Holiness

There is nothing destroyed by sanctification but that which would destroy us.

WILLIAM JENKYN

II. We are to Not Conform to this World

Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

“conformed” (suschematizomai), to form or mold one’s behavior in accordance with a particular pattern or set of standards—‘to shape one’s behavior, to conform one’s life.’ (Louw-Nida)

Worldliness is not so much a matter of activity as of attitude.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Worldliness is any preoccupation with or interest in the temporal system of life that places anything perishable before that which is eternal.

John F. MacArthur

Ephesians 4:1, “1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”

III. We are to Be Filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18, “18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”

Colossians 3:16, “16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

IV. We are to Submit to those in Authority over us

Hebrews 13:7, “7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

Hebrews 13:17, “17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, “12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate (oida, to know) those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”

V. We are to Suffer

Philippians 1:29-30, “29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

1 Thessalonians 2:2, “2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”

Acts 16:22-24, “22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, “8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

1 Peter 4:19, “19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

VI. We are to Give Thanks

Acts 5:41-42, “41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18, “18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:17, “17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

To give thanks sincerely, one must give more than thanks.

Anonymous

VII. We are to Endure

Hebrews 10:36, “36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

Patience is the queen of the virtues.

John Chrysostom

Patience is the fruit and proof of faith.

John Calvin

Patience! patience! you are always in a hurry, but God is not. Joshua’s Vision, Volume 14, Sermon #795 - Joshua 5:13-15

Charles Spurgeon

CLOSING

Does this describe you?

Are you doing the will of God?

If not, how can you be part of a decision that affects an entire church if you’re not living in this way?

Do you truly know Jesus?

Does Jesus know you?

Matthew 7:21-23, “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 7

the faith that says but does not do is really unbelief.

So in the words of Joseph Alleine who asks, “How long will you rest in idle wishes and fruitless purposes? When will you come to a fixed, firm, and full resolve? Do not you see how Satan cheats you by tempting you to delays? How long hath he drawn you on in the way of perdition?...If you be not now resolved, while the Lord is treating with you and inviting you, much less are you likely to be hereafter, when these impressions are worn off, and you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Alleine, Joseph. An Alarm to the Unconverted: A Serious Treatise on Conversion . Counted Faithful. Kindle Edition.)

Let’s pray