Knowing God's Will
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Intro.
Most of us, if we are Christians, want to know how to do God's will in our lives.
Because The most important thing, my friend, is to know God - not to know about God, but to know God.
The greatest achievement in life is Knowing God.
In the book of the Prophet Hosea 6:3 it says:
Hosea 6:3 (NIV)
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him”
I say it again: The greatest achievement in life is Knowing God.
Knowing the Lord needs to be more than just knowing facts about Him.
Knowing the Lord means loving him;
To love is to trust…
Trust is to obey…
Whoever truly knows the God of the Bible Loves Him! Because God Is Love! … whoever knows the God of the Bible, trusts him and obeys him.
When people don't obey Him it's probably because they don't trust Him.
And why don't they trust? Because they don't they love him, and why don't they love him?
Because they don't know him.
For example:
One of the issues where the Lord's people go astray the most is the issue of financial liberality for God's work.
They profess to love God, they sing, they pray, they partake the Lord's Supper, some even serve in some ministry in the church, they profess that the Bible is our rule of faith and practice, and yet, when the question is Christian finances, the vast majority have completely ignored his clear teachings regarding tithes and offerings.
See for example, Mal.3:10
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Another clear instruction on tithing is found in Lev.27:30
30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
There are many other passages…
They read this passages and they argue, debate, invent with their carnal minds all kinds of substitutes for not obeying a clear teaching.
It is no wonder that most Christian enterprises in the world today are hampered and crippled by lack of funds.
Should our contribution to the Lord's work be regulated by feelings and impulses or by principles and conscience?
Has God made us comfortable in this area?
The people of God at the time of the prophet Malachi were acting like this and the text says that God turned away from them, and they felt it on their skin, so God says this to them: Mal.3:7-8
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings.
How serious God's accusation is at the closing chapters of the Old Testament, we are taught that those who withheld the Lord's "tithes and offerings" are accused of having stolen from God! Something serious, very serious.
Only God has the right to say how much of our income should be reserved and set aside for Him. And He said this clearly, repeatedly, in the Old Testament Scriptures, and there is nothing in the New Testament that introduces any change or sets aside the Old Testament teaching on this important subject.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave His approval and set His seal upon the tithe.
Matthew 23:23 “23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
Beloved, God did not leave this important issue without fully revealing His will!
The Bible was given to be a lamp to our feet and therefore He has not left us in darkness regarding our financial obligation to Him.
Well, if you really trust Him, you tithe back to God. If you really love him, Your participation in contributing to the kingdom becomes a priority in your budget.
Am I wrong about this? No, I'm not wrong. If you truly believe this, you tithe.
Therefore, if you trust in the Lord, you will obey Him.
Now, if you obey Him, you will be blessed. Isn't it very simple?
Knowing the Lord means loving him;
Knowing means trusting him
Knowing means obeying him.
To obey Him is to be blessed.
Don't you want to be blessed? I want to be blessed.
Now, it all starts with knowing God.
3 Reasons Why You Should Want to Know God
3 Reasons Why You Should Want to Know God
A. God's Promise - Jer.33:3
3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
John 17:25–26 (NIV)
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
“though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known”
These are wonderful promises!
Again I say:
The greatest achievement in life is discovering and doing God's will, whatever it may be.
Here is a second reason for you to know God and do his will…
B. God’s Presence
B. God’s Presence
When I am in the center of God's will, I have God's wonderful presence.
In Matthew 28:19-20 - the Lord Jesus Christ promised those of us who obey Him the following:
“And I will be with you always, until the end of time.”
The place of God's purpose is the place of God's presence.
And sometimes it can feel like God is far from you.
It's not that God is far from you; is that you are far from God.
When you step into the stream of God's purpose, God becomes real to you.
The third reason for you to intensely seek God’s will
C. The Power of God
C. The Power of God
Beloved, when you find God's will you discover God's power in your life in an incredible way.
You see, the place of God's purpose and the place of God's plan is the place of God's power.
I believe this; I believe that when you are at the center of God's will, you are immortal until God fulfills everything He has planned for you; I believe that God will take care of you; He will guide you; He will protect her.
Now, that doesn't mean you won't suffer any pain, any heartache.
There will be a lot of that. But God will release his power to you in a very special way.
Sometimes we get worried about certain situations or difficult times we are experiencing.
Daniel experienced a very difficult situation,
He was put in the lion's den because he prayed to God. But He was at the center of God's will, so He was safer in the lion's den than in his room at home.
The place of His purpose is not just the place of His presence, where He is very real to you, but it is the place where God releases His power to you in a very special way.
Now, another reason for you to intensely seek God’s will
D. God's Provision
D. God's Provision
I think you remember the story…
But I will tell you one truth: “when we are in the place of God's purpose, we have His presence, His power and His Provision.
Beloved, God's plans are never interrupted due to lack of resources - never!
It is only interrupted by a lack of obedience and faith.
God said to Elijah, “I want you to go to a certain place,” and He said, “I have commanded a widow in that place to provide you with food.”
And Elijah went, and there was a certain woman gathering sticks, you remember, and God had to work a miracle, because this woman was running out of resources; but God miraculously supplied her resources.
Now, suppose Elijah hadn't gone where God told him to go? Would God have fed him? I don't know.
But I know this: He said, "I have commanded a widow in that place to provide you with food."
And the place of His presence is the place of His power. It was there that the miracle was performed. And the place of his presence is the his place of his power was his place of provision.
These are just the reasons why you want to know God's will and plans.
But how do you find out?
II.The Path to Knowing the Will of God
II.The Path to Knowing the Will of God
I'll give you three words that will help you find it. And to make things easier, they all start with the letter C.
A. Confession - Psalm 66:18
A. Confession - Psalm 66:18
Well, let me suggest that, first of all, you totally cleanse your heart. Have your heart absolutely clean and your motives absolutely clear.
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
That's a promise - not the kind of promise we like to cling to, but it is a promise.
See, if you want God to guide you, you need to have a clean heart.
To live in sin is to live stumbling in darkness. [ 1 John 1:5-7 ]
See what God says in the book of the prophet Ezekiel 14:3
Ezekiel 14:3 (NIV)
3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?
these men have set up idols in their hearts Should I let them inquire of me at all?
What's the obvious answer? No!
If you want to know God's will for your life, clean your heart, correct your ways.
B. Consecration
B. Consecration
Number two: Consecration. It's not enough to just be clean; you need to give yourself to the Lord in consecration.
Proverbs, chapter 3 and verse 6 - favorite passage of many - It is a wonderful verse.
But not enough memory; You need to have it in your life, not just in your memory.
Proverbs 3:5–7 (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
Friends, not only must we have our hearts pure, our ways mended (Prov.28:13) but we must also put away stubbornness.
Many of us are not sincere when we say, "Lord, I want to know your will." We often don't listen to God; We try to get Him to agree with us.
“Speak Lord, your servant will hear”
“Listen, Lord, because your Servant speaks”
Humility: Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and avoid evil.
Proverbs 3:9 (NIV)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
Remember, to trust is to obey,
But we need to have a life consecrated to the Lord.
C. Concentration
C. Concentration
Listen to God.
Now you know that God's will is not given to us as a map. He doesn't give us a map; He gives us a relationship.
Thus, God's will reveals itself to us day by day, as He says in Isaiah 30:21
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
In Psalm 32, verse 8, we find another wonderful promise from the Lord. He says, Psalm 32:8
Psalm 32:8 (NIV)
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
See what a wonderful thing:
a voice behind you will tell you: “This is the way; follow him".
What a blessing to know that God guides us with a voice. The voice of the Holy Spirit.
He is like a gentle dove, like a still small voice.
This is why you need to have time alone with God.
You say, "Well, God never talks to me."
He is talking! [all the time, Psalm 19]
It would be foolish to deny that there is music in the air, of course there is, you just need to turn on the radio to hear it. Just because you turn off the radio doesn't mean there's no music.
God is speaking. Are you listening?
How does God speak?
1. Through the Word of God
1. Through the Word of God
The Word of God is the main tool that God uses to guide us. Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is" - what? - "a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path".
(Psalm 119:105) Isn't that what we're talking about - walking in the light, knowing God's will?
You see, you don't need to pray or seek guidance for something God has commanded you to do or not do. Much of God's will is in the Word of God.
2. Through the Holy Spirit
2. Through the Holy Spirit
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
However, here is another way you can consider to discover God's will because there are many things that are not revealed in the Bible. Where should you go to school? In what area should you serve? What job should you have? What class should you teach?
But, you see, God also works supernaturally in your mind.
God's Holy Spirit is able to place thoughts in your mind.
His mind is often supernaturally illuminated by the Holy Spirit.
Then, together with the Word of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit, you will have the wisdom that God gives you,
James 1:5
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Wisdom is not a vision. These are not strange feelings. These are not warm emotions. It is sanctified common sense.
4. Through the People of God
4. Through the People of God
I need to hurry. Let me tell you another way to know God's will: God will bring godly people into your life with whom you can consult and who will help you: God's workers.
Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)
15 The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.
“the wise man listens to advice.”
Nowadays, there are many people who think they know everything.
They are the owners of all knowledge. “Father Knows Best”
I've counseled people who said, "Well, God told me this and that." I simply say: "if GOD told you that, who am I to distort what God told you?"
Beloved, we need to be humble.
Because none of us know everything.
And one of the ways God can guide us is by listening to other people's counsel, because He uses other people.
Now, make sure it is from the wise man that you receive advice.
I wouldn't go to the guy who changes the oil in my car for advice on brain surgery.
Make sure this is a wise and God-fearing person.
Conclusion
And lastly, when you put all these things together -- you will discover that above all, beyond all and through all, when you simply love God and do the best you know how, God providentially guides your life.
He does. And that's wonderful.
Success is nothing more, nothing less, than finding, following and completing God's will for your life.
Let's pray. You could pray and say, "Lord, you promised to lead. Lord, lead me. Show me your will. Teach me the way I should go"…
Thank you, Lord, for guiding us. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.